Surviving a World of Fiction
by TREBOR117
Summary: I started a new game, only to end up inside that game instead. Now, I must survive a world meant to be fiction. I must use my knowledge to save this universe, and make sure Shepard prevails. But Saren was only the beginning, and there may be a threat far worse then the Collectors or their masters. A threat that I might not be ready for. The real question is: are they ready for me?
1. Prologue: Strange Happenings

I'd heard you can tell a lot about a person by looking at their hands. But at that moment, as I sat on my bed staring at mine, all the inspection gave me was more questions. More were raised as I crossed the room and looked myself in the mirror.

The eyes that looked back at me were glowing like small blue suns, and three crimson scars went across the face- two across the left cheek up to my ear, and another matching one over my right eye and down to the middle of my cheek.

They'd been inflicted by...well, maybe it'd be easier to start at the beginning.

The name's Bourne. Jason Bourne. Well, actually- that's not my name. Not my real one. It's an alias I picked at a time when I couldn't remember my real name. There's a lot I couldn't remember.

It all started one random day, when I decided on one last playthrough of the Mass Effect series. It was intended to be my last for a while- maybe I'd pull the games out in a couple years for something different, or when it would be considered 'retro' gaming. I created a mostly paragon Soldier named Raptor Shepard- I'd always given my game characters odd names- but before I could hit enter, a lightning storm started up outside. Not wanting my console to be fried, I reached for it to turn it off- and instead, my life was changed forever.

I woke up on Eden Prime as Saren's geth attacked, with the aforementioned glowing eyes, grey armor with a mysterious red omega on the chest, knives and matching sheaths for several spots on my body- and the knowledge of how to use them.

Oh, and I was also a biotic now, which threw me for a loop. Slowly, I began to uncover the truth. I'd been brought into the alternate universe by Sovereign and Saren- intended to be used as a weapon to secure the Reapers' victory in the coming cycle of extinction. They'd expected a mind they could bend to their will- but apparently they didn't count on my being from a reality where I would know everything about them, giving me the ability to resist them, albeit just barely. So they tried again- bringing two new minds into my now augmented body, deciding to test the three of us to find who'd be the most usable candidate.

The thing was that both of them were also from alternate realities, versions of Shepard I'd created myself. Hero Shepard, the perfect paragon Adept, and her dark counterpart, Iron Shepard, the most brutal and evil renegade Vanguard I could have imagined.

Hero had eventually managed to throw off their control, landing us on Eden Prime, rendering me in control of the body again, and leaving her and Iron mere voices in my head that only awoke far later.

The Shepard that found me on Eden Prime was none other than Raptor Shepard herself- a sniper of unmatched skill, and almost inhuman punching ability...On second thought, scratch the almost. Thanks to some strange paradox my being here caused, reality itself conspired to make me her second in command, the second human Spectre in history...and eventually, her best friend, and she mine.

I tore my gaze away from the mirror. Iron had inflicted the wounds across my face from inside Saren's body- taking it over for a final fight against me.

A fight I'd only won due to Hero's sacrifice.

In the aftermath, we'd had awards heaped upon us- the two Spectres that saved the Citadel, and even the Council.

I grimaced. Even with three weeks to get used to the idea, I hated that _I'd _been the one to order the fleets to save them.

I forced myself to look back at the mirror, especially my chest. I'd gotten a perfect memory from all of this - as good as a Drell's, if not better- yet there were scars there I couldn't remember getting. The first were two long scars under the armpits (stopping just short of scars from a Krogan's knife, and the incision for when my liver had needed to be replaced with a flash cloned organ). I'd woken up with the new scars in a hospital not long after defeating Sovereign, with my most of my major organs and bones cybernetically enhanced- on top of the genemods I'd gotten from Saren's tampering.

_And if Cerberus isn't involved, I'll eat my pistol. _That was one of many questions I'd had lately. Could it truely have been them? If it was, then why? And if it wasn't them- who else could it have been? Could they know my secret- know that I was from another world where all of this was only a video game?

My eyes moved to the other major source of questions- another new pair of scars on my chest. Chakwas thought they'd been inflicted when I took a rocket to the back, but...since that day...things had been weird. More so than usual.

**A few days before:**

Raptor swore for what must have been the millionth time since landing, bullets flying past on all sides.

I hid my irritation only slightly better. "Remind me to ask for a pay raise when we talk to Anderson after this." I said, flicking a knife into hand, and using it as a mirror to see past the corner of the crate we were hiding behind.

It'd been about two-and-a-half weeks since we'd taken Sovereign down. Unsurprisingly, despite all the awards we'd had heaped upon us,The Council was more ready to believe in Santa Claus than the Reapers. So instead of having us do anything worthwhile to prepare for the coming invasion, we were out here wiping out the last remnants of the Geth forces.

I wasn't surprised that they'd ignored us, but I'd been half hoping that with me backing up Shepard up, they'd have been at least a bit less skeptical.

I'd also been hoping that last remnants would have meant that this abandoned warehouse would only have a few Geth, maybe 50 at the most, something we figured two Spectres would be able to handle. We were currently pinned down by at least thrice that number.

Raptor had run out of Thermal Clips pretty much as soon as we went in. Luckily, I'd held onto my older weapons, and so she was currently using my Assault Rifle to inflict as much damage as she could, while I held them off on my side with my biotics and shotgun.

"I don't suppose you have a plan?" Shepard asked as she ducked back, shields barely holding.

"You're asking me about a plan?"

"Who else am I going to ask, the Geth?"

I saw an opportunity and threw a singularity at a group of the synthetics. I followed it with a warp field a moment later, causing a biotic explosion.

I glanced back at the hallway we'd entered through. "It's about a hundred meters back to the door. Our options are to call in for backup, or make a break for it."

"If we call in back up, the Geth are going to just mow them down." She said, shaking her head. "And our radios are jammed anyway."

"Well, that's just perfect."

"At least it means its easier to decide which to go with." She said, forcing a smile.

I glanced around the corner, and pulled my head back as a rocket flew past the crate. It landed close enough to drop my shields to half strength. "No kidding. We stay here, we're slaughtered." I slid my shotgun onto my hip. "I say we get the hell out of here and just bomb the place from orbit."

"Great, except for the part where they shoot us in the back. Even as fast as we can run-"

"Who said anything about running?"

After a moment of confusion, she groaned. "Do not tell me you want to carry me and do that charging thing?"

Another rocket hit nearby, this time closer to her.

She tossed me back my gun and moved close enough for me to pick her up bridal style. "I swear, this is just embarrassing."

"Then I suggest you hold on so I don't leave you here with your embarrassment." I deadpanned, biotics surrounding us both.

A moment later, I was standing in front of the door, and I hurriedly hit the button to open it, putting up a barrier around us, though the Geth were pouring on everything they had onto it.

The door finally slid open, and I stepped through, still holding Raptor. I heard it closing, and sighed in relief, glad to be out alive.

A moment later, something hit me square in the back, and I was sent flying forwards, dropping Raptor mid flight, and landing hard enough to knock the wind out of myself.

"Alright, that's it. We're both asking for a raise after this." I heard Raptor say, but her voice seemed faint, and my vision seemed to be fading as well.

"I think...I might also need...some new...armor." I managed to get out amidst my coughing. I saw something flying from my mouth as I coughed, staining the ground red.

I dimly heard Raptor swearing as her footsteps moved my way, but couldn't hear anything after that.

Then, my world went completely black.

But though the blast should've knocked me into a state where dreaming was impossible, strange images filled my memory- like dreams remembered both more and less strongly than normal.

Line break

"Doctor! I think he's waking up!"

Slowly and groggily, my eyes opened. The pair that looked back at me were much like my own, save they glowed purple instead of blue.

"You know Raptor-" I moaned as I slowly tried to push myself up- I was lying on my side on a cot in the Normandy's medbay- "Not that I'm saying I want to see you hurt or anything, but it'd be nice if just once _I_ wasn't the one injured during a mission." I moved so I was at least sitting upright. "How badly did I get banged up this time?"

Chakwas came into the room before she could answer and looked me over. "Once again Lt. Bourne-"

"_I really hate being called that._" I muttered.

"Your capacity to recover from wounds that should kill you is astounding." She adjusted something on the cot, and a scanning device quickly ran over me. "As far as I can tell- you've completely healed."

"Miracles of modern medicine, eh?" I joked, though my head felt like it'd been stuffed full of cotton...or maybe like I'd gotten a brainfreeze. "How long was I KOed this time?"

"About-" She checked the time. "36 hours."

"Huh. Why does it always feel like longer on my end?" It felt like weeks had passed- if not months. I slowly brought a hand to my head. "God, feels like I have history's worst hangover."

As I lowered my hand, I felt it brushing across something on my chest- when I looked down, I saw two thin scars cutting across my chest at an angle, and the image of my omega burned into my chest in the same spot it would've been on my armor. "...I have no witty response for this one."

"I'm still not sure how the explosion caused that." Chakwas fretted. "Your armor was of course heavily damaged in the back, but the front was more or less unscathed. It could have transferred the heat differently, but…"

I stopped listening as she talked, two new images flashing in my mind as clearly as on a TV screen- par for the course with my memories. The first was me fighting Iron in the Normandy's cargo bay, the second an image of me being grabbed by the Thorian's tentacles as I pushed Tali out of the way.

Only thing was… neither of those things had ever happened to me.

"Something wrong Jason?" Raptor suddenly asked, noting my lack of attention.

"I...guess I just had some weird dreams." I rubbed my head. "Also, for some reason I have the weirdest question for you; you're probably going to hit me for it."

"What's that?" She asked, sounding amused even as she gave me a look that said to think about my words very carefully.

"Well...have you ever gone commando under the armor?"

Her eyes flashed with that oh so familiar light that meant I was about to get punched in the arm, and I felt instinct kicking in, making me dive to the side to avoid it.

A moment later, I was on the other side of the medbay doors, out in the mess hall. I thanked god my pants had been left on.

For a moment, I thought I'd just charged, but it felt different. Then the doors opened behind me, and I wheeled around to find the surprise on my normally composed face mirrored by Raptor's.

"...I again have no witty retort ready."

"Did you just teleport biotically? Through the doors?"

"...Uh...Yeah. I think I just did. Somehow." I frowned. I didn't say it, but suddenly other abilities flashed in my mind- powers I'd never used, but somehow could do- Flare, Nova, Dark Channel and Lash, among others.

_Did something Saren did just kick in?...Or could it have been Cerberus again? _"If you're going to ask me how, I have no idea."

"Nothing's ever simple with us, is it." Raptor sighed.

"Ain't that the truth." I agreed, heart dropping slightly. If I'd been out for 36 hours, that meant there were 36 hours I'd missed to spend time with my friend. And her time was running out.

I forced a smile onto my face. "But come on, normal is boring."

"Only for you."

I frowned again. "Huh."

"What?"

"For some reason...I think I want to punch someone named Ty the next time I see him."

**Back to the present**

I still couldn't shake the feeling there was something I'd missed. And this "Ty" person...who the hell could he have been? Someone from my former life, memories starting to come to the surface?

I forced the thoughts down, grabbing my armor off the floor and lifting most of on biotically, manually putting on the few components that I didn't quite have the control to don biotically.

As I walked into the mess, I overheard a few snatches of conversation- an annoying side effect of enhanced hearing. "Been out here for more than three days searching-"

"No sign of geth activity-"

"Bourne is really a hunk. The Chief is lucky."

...Okay, I made that last one up. But the first two definitely got my attention. I normally would've kept a composed face until I was in the elevator and then let my emotions show when nobody was around, but in this case I just jumped in the air and did a backflip- biotics activating halfway through.

When I landed, I was in the shooting range of the Normandy. Normally being able to skip the long elevator rides would've filled me with joy...but not today. Not now.

_Those two were right. _It'd been three days since we entered this sector- the others had been smaller, able to be cleared in a day and a half, two max. This had been the first to take more time.

I sat down on a nearby bench, feeling like a krogan was standing on my shoulders, weighing them down.

_If Raptor doesn't die tomorrow, four days searching this sector...it'll be the next sector. Or the one after that. Her days are numbered. Then it'll be another two years before I see her again._

_Or to be precise, two years, and twelve days._

I threw a trio of knives from my arm that imbedded in the mirror across the way. I wouldn't normally have let my emotions get the best of my like that, but considering that the ship was about to be destroyed, I didn't much care right then.

I didn't know how long I sat like that- time became meaningless.

I wanted to go to Raptor, to spend what time I had left with her- but I couldn't. I couldn't have looked in the eye- not knowing that by not telling her what I knew, I was consigning her to death. For the millionth time, arguments raged in my mind. I could tell her, prevent a tragedy.

If I told her, she wouldn't learn about the collectors, wouldn't have Cerberus's backing.

If I told her, we might be able to sway the council ourselves, not need Cerberus's backing.

If I wasn't working for Cerberus, maybe Ashley wouldn't end up hating me and leaving me on Horizon.

If I wasn't working for Cerberus, maybe Shepard would just die some other way, without being brought back.

I swore loudly, somehow in prothean. Telling her presented too many unknowns.

Not telling her produced knowns I didn't much like.

As I felt the ship rock suddenly to the side, I knew the choice had been taken from me. My helmet was on my head and sealed almost instantly, biotics working almost on their own.

I stood up and teleported in one fluid motion, ending up in the mess hall. I took a step to the side an instant before a giant laser cut through the wall- close enough that my barriers dropped from the ambient heat, but far enough that I wasn't instantly bisected.

"Joker! Status Report!" Raptor's voice came over a channel to all hands.

"We've taken heavy damage, Kinetic Barriers are down- Someone get that fire out!"

I looked over at the elevator as it slowly came up and opened, and something kicked into gear as I saw Ashley stepping out, in armor but disoriented.

I instantly charged over to her, wrapped her in my arms and teleported- a second before a second laser almost cut the ship clean in two.

I could see it from the lower deck I'd teleported us to.

"What the hell is going on?"

I shook my head. "Couldn't tell you." I noticed a group of people running past to the escape pods nearby. "Ash- listen to me. Get to the escape pods- get to safety."

"But-"

"I need to help Shepard and the others get out of here." I said, making my mind up. If Shepard was going to die right now, so be it. But I'd be damned before I just stood by and watched it happen without at least trying to stop it. "I can't do that until I know you're safe."

She looked at me for a long moment before nodding. "Be careful."

"That's the plan."

I watched her enter the pod, and the second she was away, I teleported. It only occured to me a minute later that if the escape pods were leaving, the only one left might end up being the one Joker would end up in. _Or I'll end up getting killed._

_Not like the possibility of me dying is a new thing though_. Especially as the ship started to drift apart. I suddenly was floating a foot in the air, gravity gone. I didn't bother with the mag boots, I just charged at the nearest ledge and pulled myself up, using a couple of singularities to hold myself in place. I held myself there a moment before kicking off and towards the next deck.

As I got to the mess hall where I'd started, I could distantly see Raptor walking slowly up the stairs. I tried not to see all the bodies that were closer to me.

A beam collapsed as I reached the stairs, blocking me off. I grit my teeth, and activated my magboots. My biotics flared around me, and I drew back a hand, as though I was getting ready to pitch a baseball. A huge orb appeared in it, and I hurled it at the debris, looking away as it hit. As the Flare detonated, my biotics seemed to shut down completely, and as I looked back I saw a gaping hole now- and the vacuum of space waiting for me. I stepped through as quickly as I could, which wasn't fast with the magboots.

I could distantly see Shepard helping Joker up, and tried to pick up the pace. My biotics came back online, and I tried to charge, or teleport. I couldn't do either, only trot along helplessly as I could distantly see the Collector Ship bearing down on us.

I got within sight of the pod just as Shepard was climbing inside- but I was still too far to reach it, and my biotics wouldn't kick in.

She saw me before just before she could hit the ejection button, and jumped to her feet, reaching out a hand to help me as she walked towards me.

Her fingers brushed mine, and for a moment, I allowed myself to hope. Then another blast rocked the ship, knocking us both off balance, and causing an EMP to damage the magboots. As we started floating away, Shepard's eyes took on a light I'd only rarely seen- one of pure determination.

She hit me in the chest- sending me right through the open door of the escape pod, slamming me against the far wall, and into the launch button. I was stunned, unable to react as the doors shut- and I could see her drifting away, newton's third law in full effect. I moved towards the viewplate, trying to keep her in sight, maybe do something with my biotics. I'd already lost her against the void.

I couldn't see her suit begin to leak air- the only small mercy.

She was dead because of me- not just because I hadn't told her- because I'd been too stupid to just let it happen. She would've lived if not for me.

It was my fault she had died.

I felt something sliding down my face, and removed my helmet and reached a hand up to wipe it away. Another replaced it a moment later. It was only the second time I could remember crying since I'd arrived there.

I'd learned, I was stuck in this world of fiction, for better or worse.

Now, that would no longer be enough.

For the next two years, I'd only have one goal.

It would carry into the months that followed.

It was the only way I could make Shepard's sacrifice not be in vain.

The only way I could help her when she came back.

It would ultimately evolve, but it's basis would always be the same.

My goal was simple, but it would not be easy.

My goal was Surviving.

Surviving a World of Fiction.

* * *

**T117: Well, the good news is that I've finally started the 'proper' sequel to SiaWoF. The better news is that I'm got over two dozen chapters done, so there shouldn't be any big delays for a long time. Best news? I'll be uploading new chapters ****_Twice _****a week, on Monday and Thursday.**

**)You mean as long as the backlog holds and you don't get hit with a super busy schedule or writers block.(**

**T117: What the- are you still showing up for the A/Ns? Didn't know we were still doing that after UiaWoF ended.**

**)Well, maybe it's because half this chapter was made of the prologue and epilogue for UiaWoF.(**

**T117:...Meh, if the fans are into having you here, we can keep doing things this way. If they're not, but I still enjoy it, I'll do it anyway.**

**)Kinda like how you make awful cliffhangers because you're a sadistic bastard even though everyone hates you for doing it?(**

**T117: Yep!**

**)Argh.(**

**T117: So, before people start asking how Bourne can teleport now- basically the short version is 'go read Users in a World of Fiction' if you really want to know. **

**)So you used the crossover as an excuse to amp me up?(**

**T117:...I wouldn't say excuse, ****_exactly_****… Look, I wanted you to still have some of that stuff, but have it so that people didn't need to read the crossover to understand why you had the new powers. Especially since you don't remember getting them either...which begs the question of how you remember them in this A/N.**

**)Whatever. Anything else to say?(**

**T117: I've said it before, but since people might not have heard/read it yet, big thanks to CJohnson1990 on the site for the kickass cover image. **

It seems to have been met with approval on facebook, based on the few likes and comments from people that saw it.

**T117: What the- you're here too CTHI?**

Affirmative. And knowing you, it is likely you'll have Starspike7 and/or his characters in the A/Ns at some point as well if he is agreeable to it.

**)Yeah, ****_that'll _****make the people reading this happy.(**

Do not feel too bad that you are the least entertaining person of the three of us so T117 will need to bring in someone else to replace you.

**)Even if that was true- why exactly would I not feel bad that you had to go and say that?(**

**T117: Okay, well since I want to upload this, I think we better end the A/N here. **

**)Fine by me.(**

**T117: Alright, well, here's to a new story, that'll hopefully live up to the expectations I set in the last one and entertain everyone who reads it. Until next time, Sayonara.**


	2. The Loud Silence of Guilt

I could hear them outside the pod, most of the crew- those that had survived anyway. Joker was silent on his side of the pod, I on mine.

We hadn't spoken the whole time we'd been drifting- several hours, though it felt like far longer. I could see in his eyes, he felt as guilty as I did. If either one of us hadn't been there just then, Raptor would still be alive.

I almost wanted to throw a Flare against something- it'd only been a few hours; that meant another two years and eleven days at least before I'd see her again. If I actually would.

The doors finally opened, and I forced myself to look at Liara as she pushed past the marines that'd pried the doors open, and took in the sight of the _two _of us.

She didn't even need to ask the question- the answer was evident just by the looks on our faces- my facial control was utterly gone, and I'd made no efforts to recover it.

Even with enhanced memory, the events that followed became a blur. Answering questions from almost everyone, I found myself glad that Garrus and Wrex had left the ship before the attack. Two less faces to have to look at, to see the accusations shining out of their eyes.

It was another few days before I was in front of the admirals, Udina and the Council attending via holographic projection.

"You are positive the commander is dead?" The Turian said flatly- I knew his name, of course, but I hardly ever bothered using it.

I would've slid a hidden knife into my hand if I wasn't in the dress blues Admiral Hackett had insisted I wear, sans the blades. I instead focused on keeping my voice calm- if I allowed emotion to break through, it'd only be an embarrassment, reveal how off my game I was. "If I thought there was a chance she could still be alive, I would have asked or ordered survey teams to that location the second I was able." I shook my head. "No- I unfortunately have no doubt in my mind that she is dead."

"And the status of the Normandy itself?" The Salarian inquired.

"Cut clean in half- if not more pieces. Twenty one casualties, including the Commander."

"You don't seem particularly upset by it." The Turian noted.

I gave him the flattest look I could- surprising even myself with how flat I managed to get it. "Perhaps you are unaware Councilor, but I have a habit of keeping my emotions concealed, save with those close to me." I narrowed my eyes slightly, as much to glare as to try to hold back tears."I see no reason to include anyone present in that list."

My bluntness caused a momentary silence. Anderson broke it."So then, that leaves the question of what to do with those who were onboard."

I raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

"The Alliance has no ships that aren't already needed elsewhere." Hackett clarified. "And if we did, they'd be unable to match up to the Normandy."

"Nor does the Citadel." The Turian agreed.

I let a grim smile come onto my face. "Ah."

"Ah, what?" Udina said, annoyed.

"The question is not just the crew- you are wondering where to stick me." I started pacing slowly across the floor, but my eyes never moved away from where I was looking. "I saved the Citadel, and all of you, with Raptor's help. But without her to 'babysit me'- as she once put it-" I stopped in the middle of the floor and turned to face them again. "I'm a conundrum."

I raised a hand and started ticking off points on my fingers. "If you keep me in the public eye, I'll continue to... how did you put it Councilor Sparatus? Something about how I would keep 'spreading these idiotic rumors about the so-called reapers?'" I glared at him. "And frankly... I will. Though you refuse to recognize the threat- well, I suppose that conversation can be put aside for another time if you would prefer."

"Get to the point." He growled.

"Well, if you remove me from the public eye…" I turned to the Admirals, and Udina. "There have been exactly two humans that have ever been appointed to the Special Tactics and Recon branch. You've already lost one of them." I put my hands together behind my back, trying to unclench them without them seeing they'd become clenched to begin with. "I don't think you could afford to lose the other. And if they strip me of that privilege…" I forced a dry chuckle. "Besides the fact that I absolutely abhor being called Lt. Bourne, doing that to someone that most of the galaxy considers a hero would reflect badly on all involved."

"Perhaps you should consider going into politics." Hackett said dryly.

"Admiral, I realize these circumstances are not exactly normal, but I nonetheless see no need for you to insult me."

Udina looked particularly annoyed. "You're working your way to a point, or a demand."

"I'd prefer the term request." I said, trying to take a deep breath without it being noticeable. _I'd bet money they won't go for this, but if it's worth a shot. If to not seem suspicious if nothing else. _"If an official ship can't be spared, then I would like funds to purchase or possibly retrofit a civilian model into something usable." I looked at the Admirals, feeling an almost unnatural wish that I could somehow influence their minds to be more willing to listen to me. "I would of course operate under the jurisdiction of the alliance, if I could keep the crew from before- while also serving the Council's interest. A nearly identical set up to before."

"Save that you would be in charge." The asari spoke up. "While you and the commander served well as a team-"

"You don't trust me enough to be on my own." I said flatly.

Anderson cleared his throat. "To be quite honest Lt. Bourne-" _Note to self- maybe ask for a higher rank along with the other stuff here. _"The fact that you don't have any experience leading a team, or any real knowledge of alliance protocol would make it...less than ideal."

After several moments, I reluctantly conceded the point with a nod.

"We could easily recommend him for training in ICT- he'd almost certainly be able to make it to N7." One of the Admirals I didn't recognize suggested.

"Seconded." Hackett said without a second thought.

I considered it a little longer. You had to be tough to make it to N1- let alone the coveted N7 ranking. I was definitely tougher than most, between experience, the genemods, the cybernetics, and the biotics. But… it wouldn't really feel like I'd earned it. If I was relying on my physical status alone, I had an unfair advantage that'd basically been dropped in my lap. And the mental challenge- assuming I could even have one with those circumstances- would be nothing compared to Iron, or even the Cipher. Pain almost wasn't a word for me anymore...and with what I'd seen...what I'd done...

I wanted to kick myself for it, but my...honor, for lack of a better word wouldn't let me accept the offer. I wondered if I was actually that stupid, or if the reality warping had a hand in it._...if I did it, my words would carry more weight...but should they?_

_If I became _too _important...Cerberus might focus on me instead of Raptor. _I suddenly noticed the way they were looking at me. They were hoping I'd accept, but not because they wanted to give me the honor- if I was on earth training, I was hardly in the public eye. And acknowledging that I needed training would further lower the weight my words could carry.

_Who am I kidding; they won't listen until the Reapers are at the door. Maybe Anderson or Hackett will, but that won't be enough, and we need more proof. Like for instance what could be found at the collector base. _

"Regretfully Admirals, I think I must decline your offer." I said as respectfully as I could manage.

"Then what are your plans?" Anderson asked.

"I assume that means you are choosing to not give me the ship and said crew?"

"Yes." The Turian said bluntly.

"Then I see nothing more to discuss at this point in time. Save asking for passage from this station to the Citadel."

"For what purpose?" Udina asked.

"Well, if you won't give me a ship, I'll have to find another way to acquire one, and the Citadel seems a good place to start."

"You intend to-"

"Unless the council has a specific assignment for me at this moment in time, or the alliance, I intend to do exactly what I just said. After I have a ship-" I shrugged. "Well, first things first."  
"A supply ship is due from the Citadel in a week or so." Hackett said. "We intend to send a few things back with it- you could be on it if you prefer."

"If that's the fastest way back, then it'll work." I said.

"Then you are dismissed." The Turian said bluntly.

I smiled. "Thank you Counselor." I spun on my heels, took a step- and to them, probably seemed to vanish. I relished the confused looks of those nearby the mess hall I'd teleported into. I began retracing my steps back to my provided quarters, glad I'd be able to get out of the damn monkey suit.

At least one pleasant surprise waited for me- my armor was piled on my bed, looking freshly cleaned and polished.

There was a small table nearby to maintain gear, and I began checking my knives and guns. Most of the knives had been damaged by the EMP, except for the ones that didn't collapse. The guns were jammed, and I started working on restoring them to a firing condition. Halfway through I found myself wondering if they'd been jammed by my reality warping so nobody could modify them for thermal clips- I'd always thought those things were idiotic.

Though as I stored my Assassin in my pocket, I wondered if it was even big enough to take thermal clips.

I opened the door, intending to head back to the mess hall for food, and found Ashley standing just outside it, apparently having been about to knock.

She looked upset, stressed- not that I could blame her. Wordlessly, she threw her arms around me, throwing herself against my chest hard enough to knock me back into the room.

I returned her embrace, glad the room had no monitoring or listening devices- I'd made it a point to warn those responsible for housing me that if I so much as suspected that there were...I didn't actually finish the threat since I wasn't in the mindset to come up with anything suitable, but trailing off had seemed to work better anyway.

"How are you holding up?" I asked as we finally broke the embrace.

"I was about to ask you that." She said, looking at my face. "The 'poker face' doesn't hide as much from me as it used to."

"And here I thought the scars would only add to the mystery." I said dryly. I shook my head. "I honestly don't know. I don't know if it just hasn't really hit me yet or…"

"Or?"

I tried to look at her, but my head wouldn't cooperate and turned so I wasn't. "Or if I'm just so…" I cast my mind around for the words. "So screwed up in the head that it _won't _hit me."

I turned to look at her, and my head instantly snapped the way it had been- this time from a backhand.

"Don't you dare talk about my boyfriend that way." She said, half joking, but also very serious.

I pretended to rub my cheek- though at this point I'd barely felt the blow as far as pain went. "Ash- for all you know that others don't, there's a hell of a lot more you don't know. And more that neither of us know." I took a few steps away, straightening the maintenance and cleaning equipment on the gun desk. It also gave me an excuse not to look at her this time. "The boyfriend thing may have to go long distance though...at the very least."

"What do you mean?"

"They aren't giving me a ship, or any sort of formal command. I've yet to see Joker, or anyone else from the alliance since we arrived here...well, other than you right now." I turned around to face her this time. "I don't know what they have planned for me- my own plans got shot to hell as well- but I don't think it'll be something that puts us together." I sighed. "_Goddamnit, I knew this was coming, but I was hoping I'd have more time to get this speech right._"

"I don't like the way this conversation is headed."  
I tried to steel myself, but every word I spoke hit me like a physical blow- far harder than even Raptor could have managed. "If you're not assigned under my command, you'll be put under someone else's, and who the hell knows where?"

_Horizon won't be until far later. _The doubt almost sounded as though Iron had hissed it, and I shook my head as if to get water out of my ears. "Wherever that is, it wouldn't be a spot I could get too often. Even if I could, if I started visiting you often- even once every month or something, it'd attract attention. And even if I survived the fallout due to the Spectre status… Your name is already blacklisted thanks to your family. Were they to get wind of this they could drum you out altogether. And I can _not _resign my commission to remove that obstacle- it would reflect on the alliance even worse than just finding out that I was in a relationship with you. "

She was silent for a few moments. "Is this goodbye then?"

It took effort, but I managed to twist my face into an unreadable mask again. "It might be." I rested my hands on her shoulders gently. "That isn't what I want it to be though- I want you to know that. I don't know exactly what the future holds-" _just most of it, and enough to guess that this might be goodbye- _ "But if there is a way to make this work, I'll find it." I forced a smile. "Who knows- maybe I could talk the council into making you a spectre."

She brushed my hands off. "I should get going- I'm next to be debriefed. And probably reassigned."

I watched the door close behind her, and only barely managed to stop myself from driving a fist through it- or through the walls or the floor.

_It had to be done. _The reassurance seemed to come in Hero's voice- or maybe Raptor's, I couldn't tell.

_)Doesn't mean I have to like it.( _

Only silence answered the thoughts that once would've brought forth replies.

I collapsed onto the bed, trying to hold back the tears.

_Raptor's dead, Ashley's leaving...I'd almost be glad to hear Iron at this point, just so I wasn't so damned alone...he'd probably also tell me to stop being such a baby and get myself together. Or maybe that'd be Hero's job._

_Or one of them would do it, then the other would reluctantly agree. Then I'd start arguing with them, until eventually someone ended up blasting a bad song over the link to shut the other two up and we got back to what we were doing._

I angrily threw a singularity into the air, watching the swirling energies as it stopped just perfectly to avoid actually effecting anything in the room.

I eventually cancelled it, and walked over to my armor, strapping it on and putting my guns on my back. I took a quick look at the map of the station, then spun on my heel and teleported into the shooting range.

"-Was a total bitch." I heard the end of a sentence, from the far end of the range.

I glanced over, and saw a few marines in armor- even from here I could see the N7s on their chest pieces.

"Trust me- I served with her back at the academy- the galaxy is better off without her."  
"Yeah, not to mention the name. I mean, who names their kid 'Raptor?'"

"Maybe with her gone, we can get a decent human into the Spectres."

I felt sudden pain my hand, and looked down to see it'd clenched into a fist, biotics surrounding it. For a crazy moment, I expected them to be red, but they were the same shade of blue as always.

I forced myself to turn to the targets, not wanting to do something I'd end up regretting.

"That gunnery chief from the crew was pretty easy on the eyes though. What was her name? Amanda something?"  
"Or that Asari. You know, I heard rumors that Shepard was hitting that- can't say I blame her."

_So, reality warping- is this you trying to prove that I should get control of myself because there's idiots everywhere, or is this something so I get kicked out of the alliance and have to go to cerberus?_

"Yeah, but what about that quarian? I'd like to see what's behind that mask."

"Or- hey? What's he doing here?"

I told myself that if they actually came over here, I'd find some way to talk them down instead of taking them down. I knew that I was lying, but I at least was trying.

"Hey you!" One of them, apparently the leader said as he walked towards me, the other two. "Don't you know this range is just for marines? Go find somewhere else for your merc-"

"Ex. Mercenary." I growled, turning to face them. "And Last I checked, I hold the rank of Lt."

They took a look over my armor, and one of them laughed. "Yeah, that must be what the Omega is for."

"Well, then, Lt. Ex Mercenary." The leader said, poking me in the chest. "The name's Commander Erik Smith. So I'm giving you an order to get out and come back later."  
I let a smile come to my lips. "And if I decided to stay, what _exactly _would you do about it? Cause filing a report ain't exactly going to scare me."

"You think you can handle three N7s?" The one in back asked, just tempting fate as biotics flared around him.

"No. Thinking I can implies that I'm not completely sure."

The leader started poking me in the chest again. "I'll say this one more time since I'm in a good-"

He was cut off as I grabbed his arm as it came in again, spinning him and twisting the arm around so it was behind his back, my other arm going to his elbow, so I could snap it easily if he didn't back down. "You only asked the rank, not the name. The name, is Jason Bourne."

"You're that other human Spectre." The biotic from the back realized, looking me over.

"Yeah- so let me give you an order of my own." I let go of the leader's elbow, kicking him in the small of the back towards the other two. "Shut up, and start running before I lose my temper."

He turned around, and glared at me, not backing down. "You should apologize before I make you eat those words."

"You should start running before I make you eat a singularity." I responded coldly, biotics flaring around my hand.

He took a step back, and started to turn to walk away- before spinning back around with biotics around his fist to throw me back several meters.

For a moment, I lay there looking at the ceiling. Then I did a back handspring to get back to my feet, biotics glowing all around me. "Singularity sandwich it is." _Wow I hope they couldn't actually hear that from there. _

"Oh come on, do you really think-" Whatever else he was going to say was cut off as I charged into him full force, sending him flying all the way into the far wall. I slammed a fist into the ground as the other two started to turn, and a powerful Nova blast knocked them both to the ground several feet away.

I waited for them to get up for a few moments before realizing all three were out cold- I hadn't even been half trying, but I obviously didn't know my own strength.

I did a quick check to make sure that any lasting damage was unlikely, called a med team to the range, then teleported back to my room, collapsing on the bed without even taking off my armor.

"It's going to be a long week waiting for that ship to the citadel." I muttered to the air.

* * *

**T117: So, 40 Favs, 65 Follows, 16 reviews already...can I just say "Fuck yeah!"?**

**)You are such a reviewslut.(**

**T117: Shut up and let me...enjoy this…**

**)What?(**

**T117: Eh, just kinda missing Spike on that one. I realized while typing it that it was a perfect "that's what she said" setup.  
**

**)Missing who?(**

**T117: Exactly. And someone said something about 'not leaning too heavily on the crossover'. Well, I'm going to try to write it so that the people who enjoyed the crossover-**

**)All five of you-(**

**T117: Can see little things and go "haha, that's a reference. That's funny" and the people that didn't read it don't miss much aside from a couple gags like that...at the same time though, it's pretty likely that there's going to be a UiaWoF sequel between Surviving and *I'm not telling you the name of the third one yet*. Like I said, I don't want to force people to read the crossover(s) if they don't want to. That said...depending on how UiaWoF2 goes, it might tie in a lot more to SfaWoF. Or SfaWoF might ignore it too; I don't know yet, we've only talked about it a little as far as the actual plot goes. It depends a lot on how this story goes too; one...without spoiling too much, the way I was going to have one character act completely has changed as I wrote this. I've still got the basic plot the same as when I first started writing, the specifics are just changing as I write and come up with new ideas...I think I've got a mostly finalized version of the plot now, but then I said the same several weeks ago. **

**)...So, when people ask questions, like if Iron and Hero are still in my head, do they not realize that you're too much of a sadistic bastard to give them a straight answer? And that you're too uptight to intentionally spoil your own story aside from to maybe three people?(**

**T117: Who knows. But since someone also said they don't like super long A/Ns...well, these'll be shorter than UiaWoF's just since it's only me writing them, but I've still kinda gotten in the habit of this sorta style. Might go back to the shorter ones like in the original, might stick with this. Either way: Sayonara.**


	3. Time Passes, but Scars Don't Always Fade

**2 weeks after the destruction of the Normandy.**

"Don't you think you've had enough buddy?" The bartender asked me as he slid another black death cocktail my way.

"You see the dart board over there?" I asked rhetorically.

"Yeah? What about it?"

In one motion, I stood up, slide a knife from my sleeve and popped the blade, then threw it at the board, hitting the bullseye from about thirty feet away. "When I can no longer do that, I will be drunk enough to want to stop and go home. Until then, I am decidedly more sober than I want to be, and sobering up every second I am not drinking, so kindly just keep the liver damage coming."

After a moment, he just pushed another drink besides the other and slid to the far end of the counter, shooting me several nervous looks.

I just was trying to keep my attention away from the vid screen over the bar. It was currently broadcasting Shepard's funeral.

I don't mean pre recorded, I mean I was in that bar while they were burying her- or rather an empty casket that was supposed to represent her. Her body hadn't been recovered- or if it had, it was probably in the Collector's hands, if Cerberus hadn't gotten it yet. I could slightly change things that happened in the games, yes. A comic, on the other hand, I had no idea what could happen if I showed up.

I didn't see any way that going to the funeral would be a good idea. For one, anyone with a grudge against me would have expected me to be there- a perfect target. For another, I'd probably be asked to make a speech of some sort. Although Raptor was my best friend, what could I really say about her after having known her only for a couple of months? And knowing that she'd be back in slightly under two years?

I shook my head. So far I'd had no luck finding any sort of ship- not even a smaller vessel meant for a crew of five or so. I'd mainly been helping C-sec out with cases where my ability to cut through red tape made their lives easier. They hadn't paid me or anything, but I'd managed to sneak out a few weapon mods and the like when they weren't looking, and plant a few bugs so I could listen in on their discussions if I wanted to find out what they were up to.

_Speaking of which- _"I take it your presence here means you are willing to accept my offer?" I said without looking up as I heard footsteps approaching the bar.

I turned to see a miffed looking Salarian sitting down next to me, purple skin somehow looking slightly pale. Not that I'd have expected him to not be stressed out after I told him C-sec was planning to raid his 'store' the day after tomorrow.

"Only because my own contacts within C-sec confirmed your information." He said flatly. His name, the short version anyway, was Hephaestus- yes, he knew it was the same name as the greek god of the forge, he'd heard it many times before from humans. He ran a weapons and armor store in the rebuilt wards- mostly legitimate.

The part besides the mostly was modifying weapons or tech for anyone who could pay. With all the Geth tech lying around to be scavenged, he'd been able to figure out plenty of new upgrades or tricks. And that was just what I'd actually gotten him to admit with some careful verbal traps. He also seemed to have some tricks with armor or omni-tools, according to C-sec reports I'd overheard- which was how I'd found out about him to begin with. Even if he'd been talked up a bit, he sounded like a technical wizard- which was something I could use, given that I couldn't even convert a recovery beacon into a warning beacon without help. Let alone coding a hacking program or something.

"So, since you were a little vague, what exactly did you have in mind for this...partnership?" He asked.

I pushed my drink away- not that I was all that drunk anyway, despite my best efforts. "Simple. You can keep up the legitimate stuff- don't give C-sec any more reasons to try to take you in, while I use the Spectre status to clear up the stuff they already have. In return, you put that keen intellect of yours for me- better weapons, better armor, better tech in general."

"That hardly will be profitable."

"You'll still be able to run your…less questionable practice upstairs. Could you do that from inside a cell?"

"If I made the proper arrangements, yes."

_...Yeah, okay, I kinda walked into that one. _"What about from a body bag?"

"...That would be more difficult."

I leaned against the counter as I turned to look at him. "So, out of curiosity, do you not have any contacts on the black market?"

"Do you think I would admit something like that unless I was sure you weren't just trying to get information on me?"

"C-sec has enough info to put you away for life already." _Though considering the average salarian lifespan, that's not really saying much. _"But I'm not the type to watch talent get thrown away if I can use it."

"So you view me as a tool for your own use?"

I was hit with another flashback to something that had never really happened- some girl that looked like she belonged on a farm. I shook the thought away, shrugging. "Don't be dramatic. My point being- I happen to know of a black market dealer C-sec also has eyes on. So far they're making no moves towards him, but if I could recruit him and keep their eyes off for good...well, you can only modify an avenger so much. Something a bit more advanced though, like, I don't know, an STG scorpion, and you're turning something good into something great."

"Modifying that for what?"

"I have a few ideas...I have no idea where I got them, but I think between the two of us we could make them reality." _Maybe I should show this guy RWBY and see if he gets any ideas._

He was silent for a moment. "Very well. If you'd like to come with me now, I can set up my security system to let you in- I get the feeling you're not one for calling ahead."

"Not so much, no."

**Three Weeks after the destruction of the Normandy.**

I was slightly uncomfortable as I walked through this level of the presidium. Though I'd managed to cover my scars with make up to blend in, I still was hoping I wouldn't run into anyone that could recognize me without the scars. Though I had to admit, the new look would probably throw them off as well. My armor was too conspicuous to wear everywhere, and since the Alliance wasn't providing a wardrobe, I'd gotten some clothes of my own. The black leather jacket over my grey shirt was left mostly open, so I could reach the knives in the sheaths I'd sewn into it, and my sturdy grey work boots held several knives as well. I'd seen them and instantly went for my credit chit. Luckily I still was getting paid by the Alliance and Council, though for how much longer I'd no idea.

I hadn't really expected the arms dealer I'd just met with to be dumb enough to try killing me but I didn't want to take the risk either, hence the knives. _So, hopefully Hephaestus and I can modify at least one of these SMGs back to the old system...I still can't believe he actually prefers thermal clips. _

As I got to my destination, I stopped and hesitated before going in. Finding the grave I was looking for was easy. The N7 marking it was as visible as the name and list of awards that covered it- along with flowers from almost every planet in council space.

I knelt down before it, suddenly feeling more self conscious, and I looked around to make sure the site was as empty as it had first appeared.

I cleared my throat. "So, that was some funeral they had for you, huh Raptor?"

I tried to imagine how she'd respond to that, but failed.

"So, how is it in heaven? Probably a nice vacation from dealing with me, eh?" I shook my head. "I don't know if there actually is some afterlife you're hearing me from, or if I'm just making a fool of myself for no reason. But if you are listening... I've got some things to say. Things I couldn't say while you were here. That I can't say later either. So I hope you are listening, cause I'm not going to repeat myself." I wiped away the sudden tear that appeared in my eye. "I should've said them while you were here- but I couldn't."

I lowered my head as I knelt in front of the grave. "Despite our differences, and all the times we argued...I have nothing but respect for you. I hope you knew- _know _that. I'm sorry Raptor. If I'd...If I hadn't...I don't know what I could've done differently. But your death was my fault. And for that, I am truly sorry...If I could've taken your place, I would have. But I couldn't. Didn't."

I shrugged helplessly. "I'm wondering what you'll say when we talk again. If you'd tell me it wasn't my fault, slap me and tell me not to pull something like that again then hug me...knowing you, it'd be some third thing I'd never see coming in a million years."

A sudden loud noise surprised me, and it took another one for me to realize the sound was me, sobbing. "You didn't deserve this." I pounded a fist into the ground, letting off a small Nova, enough to scatter the flower petals into the artificial wind. "You didn't deserve this." I wiped my face, smearing the makeup and revealing the scars again. "I swear to you Raptor- no matter what, you won't have died in vain. Those Reaper bastards are going to pay for it. I'll survive these coming years- we'll win this fight, no matter the cost."

I stood up, wiping off the last of the tears and the makeup. "Goodbye...my friend...it should be me rotting god knows where right now." I forced a smile. "After all, I look more like the part, even with your weird purple glowing eyes." I turned and walked away without looking back.

I didn't trust myself to look back.

**Four weeks after the destruction of the Normandy.**

As I walked into the apartment I'd rented, my mind was elsewhere. _Knowing about tech from the future shouldn't help me actually know how it's meant to work...so why are we almost done actually designing a device to channel my nova blast into a single beam?...Also, note to self- come up with a better name than just Phase Disruptor…Maybe Dreadshot?_

_...No- god- what am I thinking, that's an awful name...well, not as good as what I could call it anyway…Nail Gun maybe-...Why do I suddenly want to inflict severe pain on somebody?_

I didn't bother flipping on the lights- I knew exactly where everything was even in the dark, thanks to the perfect memory- I just headed for my chair to watch the news, or see what else was on. The lamp next to the chair suddenly came on, revealing that it was already occupied.

I saw the symbol on the suit the woman was wearing before I took in anything else, and my Assassin was instantly in hand, even as I rolled to the side and looked for any other hostiles.

I relaxed only slightly when I saw she'd come alone.

"Well, I suppose hello was a bit too friendly of a response to expect." She deadpanned in an australian accent.

With the adrenaline rush somewhat subsiding, I finally realized who I was dealing with. "Miranda Lawson. Just who I _didn't _want to see."

If she was surprised, she didn't show it. "You know who I am?"

"Timmy's right hand woman, among other things."

"...Timmy?"

"The Illusive Man? T-I-M? Tim to Timmy?" I smiled slightly. "You didn't think I was going to let myself get kidnapped and experimented on without at least _wondering _who was responsible, did you? And my my my, the things I found out."

"We've been monitoring you for weeks. If you'd actually looked into us-"

" It makes little difference to me what you believe, or observed." I put the gun away, though I made sure my biotics were ready to be used on a moment's notice. "Can I get you anything? Wine, water, perhaps some of the vodka I got from an admirer a while ago?"

"You're not going to search me for weapons, or some other-"

"I'd hope you're not here to attempt to harm me." I said, moving past her to the kitchen, flipping the lights on biotically. "If that was your goal, you'd have brought backup. Granted, they could be waiting outside, or have me in scope range. But I get the feeling you came alone. And though your combat training is none too shabby from what I dug up...Well, I think the cybernetics you gave me give me a slight edge."

I poured us each a glass of vodka. "Though I will admit _your _genetic modifications turned out far better than mine as far as looks go." I turned around in order to see a slight reaction of surprise in regards to figuring out the genemods- nothing most would notice, but with a poker face like mine, I'd learned to recognize very slight facial twitches. "What's that old expression- it takes one to know one?"

I set the vodka on the table between us and leaned back on the couch, feeling the slight lump under the cushion where I'd hidden a shotgun. I casually let my left arm fall down to my side, where I could grab it and rip it out if she pulled anything. The fact that I'd drugged the vodka with a mild sleeping agent would also help, assuming her genemods didn't nullify it like mine and my cybernetics would.

"Do you know anything else about me you'd like to share?"

"Nothing in particular, no." _Cause while bringing up your sister might impress you as far as my 'ability to gather info' goes, it'd also probably piss you off, and while I'd almost certainly be able to beat you in a fight, having you dead would make Shepard's resurrection nearly impossible._

"Well, here's something I know about _you- _you didn't attend Commander Shepard's funeral."

"I paid my respects in my own way. I did not need the cameras and all the people who only were there because she was the latest hot commodity."

"...Fair enough." She said, raising the glass and pretending to drink- though looking closely I could see not a drop had passed her lips.

"So, the question is, why are you here." I downed my glass freely, then brought the bottle to me to refill it. "This is the heart of Council Space, and Cerberus is a prohuman group classified by C-sec as a terrorist threat. You would have had to sneak aboard, find someone to let you in here without tipping me off- and those are the _obvious _arrangements. I'm sure there were more, that I just can't think of off the top of my head. Quite a lot of trouble to go through just for a glass of vodka, even of this vintage."

"Have you had any contact with Ms. Liara T'soni recently?"

"Haven't seen her since they found the pod Joker and I were drifting in."

"Well, then I suppose she didn't tell you- a good thing she's discreet, but it makes my job here more difficult."

"Let me guess- some info or advice that's sorta related to her, but since I ain't hearing it from her, it'll have less weight with me?"

"Something like that."

I leaned back in the couch again, swirling the ice in the glass idly. "Well, are you going to tell me, or are you trying to build suspense up first?"

"It's...something that might be easier to believe if you saw it firsthand."

I laughed. "Right. Like I'm going to go with you. I bet I'd end up in a bathtub full of ice with a kidney missing, going off past experiences with Cerberus."

She grimaced slightly. "I didn't know that The Illusive Man had ordered your...enhancement. If I did, I'd have argued against it."

"Argued against it, or argued for installing a control chip in my brain? Or maybe you'd have just stuck a needle in and left my body for a rachni to eat." I cut her off as she opened her mouth. "Let me guess- that was a rogue faction, and so was the one that was responsible for _Akuze_." I set the glass on the table before I could throw it at her as I was so sorely tempted to just then.

"They were, yes."

I studied her face. "Either Cerberus hides enough from you that you actually believe that, or your skills at deceit are even better than I thought. Either way, it gives me no reason to trust you."  
"What if I told you that we actually are working to stop the Reapers- unlike the Council and the Alliance."

"One point in your favor and I'm supposed to be impressed?" I rolled my eyes. "Next you're going to tell me you can bring Shepard back from the dead."

I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing at the look on her face. "Well…"

"Liara helped you retrieve Shepard's body from the Shadow Broker and the Collectors, and now you've been put in charge of Project Lazarus, a project with that exact goal." I said in an almost bored tone.

"...How did-"

"Perhaps I know a mind reader." I said, wondering what else I could troll her with.

"...You're not going to tell me how you got that information, are you."

"Nope." I grinned. "Telling you would ruin the fun."

"But you know then that just that has occurred, and our goal is to bring Commander Shepard back from the dead."  
"Yep."

"And that if we do, she'd likely want you as her second in command."

"Yep."  
"And that if somehow the lazarus project fails, you're the best choice to take over instead."

"Correct yet again."

She crossed her arms, glaring at me. "Note that the last part was The Illusive Man's opinion, not mine. I don't have patience for incompetence, or recklessness."

"Well, the second part has been applied to be me as a description in the past- not the first one so much."

"Or heroes." She added, annoyed at being cut off.

"That's what I've been called as well. Why they're foolish enough to think I'm a hero is beyond me."

"Will you shut up and let me actually finish a sentence?"

I chuckled. "This mission seems impossible and the odds seem low, but you'll achieve success regardless, either because of me or in spite of me? Oh, and you'll take my orders or follow me into battle, but I have to fight to earn your trust? Am I on the right track with any of that?"

She froze with her mouth slightly open.

"I'll just take that as a yes. Going along that line of thought- you want me to come with you both to see Shepard's body to prove that you're telling the truth, maybe get some info about her backstory out of me- fill in any gaps I can, maybe some detail from missions since my memory is as good as a drell and to restore brain function you need every advantage you can get...Maybe run a few odd jobs here and there?"

"I can tell already your presence is going to be almost insufferable." She muttered.

"What do you mean almost?" I chuckled.

"When would you be ready to leave the Citadel?"

I considered it a moment. "Well, that depends. Seeing as I doubt you want me bringing friends along, I'd want to be able to have a way to get between...wherever it is you're going, and here so I can keep up my work with Hephaestus and Co."

"...Hephaestus? Like the greek god of the forge?"  
"Yeah, he's apparently heard that many many times before." My smile faded. "Is there any particular time table for all of this?"

"Not really, no. At the moment, we're merely trying to restore the body to a recognizable state. There are a lot of cybernetics we need to design and install, some tissue cloning to arrange-"

_Yeah, like an entire backup of Shepard...I hate killing someone like that before they've even had a chance to do wrong, but if I could find and kill that clone, it'd save us some problems in the future. Worth thinking about anyway._

"Would two weeks be agreeable to you?" I asked.

"I'll make the arrangements."

"There is one little condition though."

"Which is?"

I smiled. "If anyone calls me Lt. Bourne, I start walking."

She just sighed in response.

* * *

**)...So, uh...why exactly did you put this chapter up now?(**

**T117: Meh, I just kinda felt like putting it up. I got done with an entire chapter pretty much in one day, so I figured what the since I've got a 12 week backlog, I can afford to to throw up an extra chapter once in a while...granted, I might regret it later when my schedule gets busier, but-**

**)If you say Yolo, I swear I will disown you.(**

**T117:...I was going to say 'fuck it', actually.**

Your keystroke log says otherwise.

**)...Can we go now? This is a bonus chapter anyway, I don't think you need a huge A/N.(**

**T117: One other thing- I'm probably going to be doing a Q/A A/N for chapter 5...dunno if it'll be every five chapters like with UiaWoF just since I'm doing 2 releases a week instead of three, but I'll figure some pattern out. But either way, if you've got questions for me, this is the time to ask.**

**)Just realize if you ask questions about what's going to happen, or theories about what's going to happen, he's probably either going to ignore you, or troll the hell out of you.(**

**T117: Sure am. Until next time, Sayonara.**


	4. Pack Your Bags- It's Vacation Time!

**Six weeks after the destruction of the Normandy**

"Are you sure this is going to work?"

The answer Hephaestus gave me was what was clearly a dirty look, along with a terse yes. "The technology is experimental, but with the readings I've taken of your biotics, amps, and cybernetics, it should incorporate rather well...Or it will explode and take your hand clean off."

I shrugged as I looked on the glove covering my hand. "That's why we made this thing for the left."

He hit a switch and a target came up at the far end of the room. "Whenever you're ready."

"Still wish I had a better name for this thing than Dreadshot." I muttered, aiming, barrier up and ready to be used. "In 3...2...1."

Energy from my barrier around me collected into the glove and shot forth in a powerful beam of energy, like an extremely focused and powerful nova. Or so the video recording showed me later- I was currently too busy flying backwards from recoil to be able to see, and only barely managed to stay conscious as I hit the far wall.

_Times like this I'm glad I'm a cyborg. _I thought, little birds fluttering around my head.

"I can't quite decide whether or not that counted as a success." The salarian muttered to himself as he walked over to where I was.

I pushed myself to my feet slowly. "Well...neither can I...but I think we need a way to dial down the power this thing uses, reduce the kickback- or make it so I can adjust it somehow." I took the glove off, wincing slightly as it detached from the new ports in my arm where it'd hooked in. They were small, spaced in an even triangle just above my wrist- nearly impossible to see unless you knew what to look for.

"I'll look into it." He said, taking it and putting on a nearby shelf in the large lab we were in. "Would you like to try any other ways to blow yourself up today, or will that suffice for now?"

"That depends." I answered, head finally starting to let up with the ringing. "Did our contact in the wards manage to acquire another scorpion for us?"

"Not yet. Though I made a point to tell him to get as many as possible, since you've destroyed the last four."

The VI for the store and lab broke in before I could reply. "There's a customer here for you sir." The feminine voice said in an emotionless tone.

"I'll be up in a moment." He replied.

"Actually, she appears to be looking for Agent Bourne."

I glanced at the time on my omni-tool. "Huh, good thing I'm already packed then. I was supposed to meet her almost an hour ago."

I pulled my armor to me from the corner I'd stored it in, along with a couple suitcases. I flexed a few times once the armor was on, enjoying the increased mobility we'd managed to get out of it. The fact that were more spots now on the chest, shoulders, boots, lower thighs and upper arms to store my throwing knives wasn't a bad deal either.

I glanced at the weapons nearby, then shrugged and grabbed just my Assassin and an SMG I'd managed to get back to a heat diffusion system instead of heat sinks- though I had several of those around my belt just in case I needed to use a weapon that required them.

I left the shotguns and assault rifles we were working on where they were- most were only half done, and if I ended up needing them on this trip, it'd already have gone south beyond repair. _And it's not like I couldn't take weapons from people if needed._

"So, you once again have no idea how long you'll be gone, and expect me to do all of this for you?" Hephaestus deadpanned.

"I drew up the schematics for you this time at least."

"And I'm sure you made errors in a dozen places on each one."

"I am going to ignore that comment." I said, grabbing the last bit of my armor and storing it on my belt, hoping I wouldn't need it. "There is one other thing though."

"What now?" He sighed.

"How good are you at hacking?"

He looked insulted, though he kept it out of his voice. "If I can get access to it, I can crack the code."

"Then give me a couple...remote uplinks? The things that plug into a database so you could hack it remotely?"

"Your butchery of the terms aside-" He walked over to a shelf and pulled a few off, tossing them to me to store on my belt. "If you can 'plug those in' I'll be able to hack into the databases even from here."  
"Traceable?"

"I can cover my tracks."

I gave him a serious look. "I'm planning on giving Miranda the slip at some point so I can plant these directly into Cerberus's encrypted databases. I doubt they'd hesitate to plug whatever leaks they find."

He was silent a moment. "It will take longer, but I can guarantee they won't find those leaks. Are you looking for anything specific?"

"Data on Project Lazarus, mainly. If nothing else, see if their cybernetics can be used to upgrade mine...and if you run into anything on Project Phoenix, also get that stuff. Experimental biotic tech." I looked down at my left arm._ If he's going to put plugs like this into me, might as well put them to use._

"Ms. Lawson is quite insist that Agent Bourne comes to the upper level." The VI droned.

"Yeah yeah yeah, I know." I said, doing a quick check of my the knives on my shoulders and boots- I'd had replicas made of the originals and their sheaths, since the one on my belt had to be taken out to make room for other equipment there. And I had to admit, I kinda prefered the more symmetrical look. "Log me out of the lab, and set the verification key."

"Acknowledged."

A quick backflip sent me to the upper level, and Miranda spun around as I reappeared behind her. "My apologies for keeping you waiting."

"Another five minutes and I would've left without you." She said, obviously meaning it. "Come on, the aircar is waiting outside." She looked at me rather critically. "It's a good thing we don't have far to go- you'd certainly stand out in a crowd."

"Need I even point out how hypocritical that statement is Ms. Lawson?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

She just turned around silently, the almost skin tight 'armor' only proving my point. "Are you coming or not?"

"Patience is a virtue. " I chuckled, following her, suitcases floating behind me biotically.

It only took a few minutes to reach the aircar and store the luggage, after which we climbed into the back seat, letting the driver do his thing.

I glanced up at him, then at her. "Is he an associate of yours, or do we have to be more discreet back here?"

"The former."

"Good, because I've got to ask...why'd _you _come to do all of this?"

She mulled that over for a moment. "What do you mean?"

"Well, considering that Cerberus was responsible for Akuze- don't bother with that line about it being a rogue faction," I cut her off as she opened her mouth, "we're both too stubborn to be convinced by the other. Since as far as I knew when I met you it was Cerberus- there, that better?- and I was also fairly certain you guys kidnapped me and then tried to turn me into your cybernetic science project...Seems a bit foolish of Timmy to risk having me kill his second in command."

"You are going to refer to him as Timmy no matter what I say, aren't you." She sighed. "Our psyche profiles indicated that you'd be more likely to either be surprised and hesitate, or else attempt a more lengthy cause of death- in either scenario, I would have been able to at least talk to you." She paused. "There also was the possibility that you'd spoken with Doctor T'soni, or found out about Project Lazarus...some other way."

I noticed the slight pause, but didn't press the issue. Considering I'd almost literally pulled the info out of midair, it was best if they didn't look too closely. "And so you wanted to come, since you're the one in charge of Lazarus?"

"More or less." She glanced out the window.

I was silent for several minutes before I worked up the nerve to ask the question that'd been haunting me so often lately. "You really think you can bring her back? The real her- not just a clone?"

"The project's only barely started, and we're already running into issue after issue." She admitted. "But I believe it is possible."

"Belief alone isn't enough."

"No, but it's a start." She looked at me. "And considering that your genemods seem coded to only physical perfection, while mine were also coded for _mental _superiority, maybe you should stick to your own area of expertise."

"Jeez, try to make conversation and get your head bit off." I muttered. "Like I'm talking to Wrex all over again."

I flicked a knife into hand, twirling it between my fingers- not really to threaten so much as just because I was bored, though I did notice a slightly nervous look every once in a while, and a quick pat of her hip to make sure her gun was still there.

"One last thing- or at least it should be if the answer is what I suspect it is. Is negotiating the terms of my...partnership with Cerberus part of your job, or do I get to talk to the head honcho directly?"

"The Illusive Man seems to have taken a closer interest in this project- and in you- than usual. You'll be speaking to him when we reach Project Lazarus."

_By quantum entanglement field I bet- though best not to mention that specifically. _"I'm guessing it won't be in person?"

"Would you want to meet with you, given your grievances against us?"

"Maybe if I was drunk or concussed I might think it was a good idea." I responded, flicking the knife back onto my arm and looking towards the front of the car. "How much longer until- **SHIT!**" I grabbed Miranda by the shoulder and threw us both forward in our seats as I activated my biotics, teleporting out of the car an instant before the rocket I'd seen flying towards it made contact. With only a split second to react though, I'd ended up teleporting us into the open air.

I managed to slow us down before we made contact with the Presidium floor, though our barriers still went down completely as we hit. I groggily got to my feet in time to see another rocket flying towards us.

It impacted against Miranda's domed barrier as she got to her feet as well, gun already in hand.

"Good reflexes." I commented, clicking the safety off my Assassin as I grabbed my new visor from my belt and readied it. _So much for not needing it._

"Yours weren't bad either, seeing as how we didn't just blow up."

The U shaped metal component slid over my ears and the back of my head, before the energy field that made up the visor itself materialized in front of my eyes and face- it was shaped like a pair of sunglasses, and glowed a dark purple that was almost black. As it synched up with the implants in my eyes, a HUD popped up in front of me, including a radar that showed several hostiles. The nearest one was directly in front of me- or so it appeared to classify Miranda. I hit a quick button on the side of the device as I looked at her to tag her as friendly. "Looks like a dozen enemies- I'm guessing mercs and/or assassins."

"Probably." She said, getting behind cover, as I mirrored her nearby.

"I read them at about 50 meters and closing fast." I pulled a knife off my chest, and held it up to look for myself- Looked like all twelve were humans. I then stood up and tossed the knife at the throat of one of them, firing two shots in quick succession from my S-17 as well before ducking to avoid a rocket. "Make that nine targets." I looked around, and saw a ledge not far away- one I'd easily be able to charge them from. "Keep their attention."

If she asked me what I meant, I couldn't hear her as I teleported to the ledge, tossing out a singularity at the group nearest to her. As the others looked my way, obviously looking for the source, I charged at the one that seemed to be the leader, catching two others with a powerful Nova. The remaining two leveled their guns at me, but my knives were quicker and caught them in the throats, before my assassin nailed them both in the head.

An explosion behind me indicated that Miranda had thrown a warp into my singularity, so I finished off two more mercs with headshots before walking over to the leader. They weren't blue suns, Eclipse, or any other group I was familiar with, but his weapons and armor marked him as the boss- they were obviously better quality than the others. It might've been that they'd changed armors to something less distinctive so I couldn't place them. But either way it meant the only way to figure it out was to..._ask._

He tried to grab his sidearm, but I yanked it out of his grasp and crushed it with my biotics.

"You are going to tell me who hired you. How much pain you endure before that is up to you." I said emotionlessly.

"Go to hell."

I rolled my eyes behind the visor, and put a round directly into his left kneecap, making him howl with agony.

"As I said- you _will _tell me."

I felt Miranda's hand on my shoulder a moment later. "We don't have time for this."

He laughed. "The stripper's right- there's another four squads just in this area looking for you."

"In that case-" I put a round in his other knee cap, cutting his laughter short. "One last chance. You tell us who hired you, I leave you alive for C-sec. Or you can start laughing again, and I will simply kill you.

He spat. "Do your worst you-"

His words were cut off as I shoved a knife through his eye, straight into his brain. I yanked it out and wiped the blood off on his armor before storing it again.

"Poor choice of words." Miranda commented.

"Don't suppose there's a backup air car round here for us?" I deadpanned, grabbing his fallen assault rifle, and popping in a fresh thermal clip before sliding it onto my back.

"No. And the shuttle is on the other side of the Presidium."

"Yeah, I figured." I shrugged. "Well, at least one of my worries about this venture has been put to rest."

"Which is…?"

"At least I know this won't be boring."

She let out an audible groan as we started moving down the block.

* * *

I let out a sigh as we finally got into the shuttle, tossing the assault rifle out the door before it shut. "God, whoever came up with the idea of thermal clips needs to be shot."

"Looks like you've had a rough go of it." A new voice said- one I had to suppress a groan at hearing as I turned around to face the owner. "Jacob Taylor." He said, putting his hand out.

I was glad for not only the poker face, but also the visor covering my eyes as I reached out to shake his hand. "Jason Bourne." _I wonder if the timeline would really be that affected if I ...Ah, probably wishful thinking._

"This was supposed to be kept classified." Miranda said without preamble. "Someone leaked the plan, or the mercs would've waited for Bourne at his apartment, or maybe C-sec."

"Unless they were going after you." I responded, thinking. _Could've been Wilson- already know he's a traitor working for the Shadow Broker...should consider taking him out early if possible...except that Miranda probably needs him to complete Project Lazarus...Maybe I'll just kill him at day 11 of 12. _

_Or...one of them, or someone else actually part of Cerberus could've hired the mercs to throw me off- make me think I can trust Cerberus. They were good, but no match for Miranda, let alone me, let alone both of us together. Still kind of a risk though- if I couldn't teleport, we'd have been splattered._

"Possible, but unlikely." She responded.

"C-sec can sort it out." Jacob said with a shrug. "I'm just glad you both made it in one piece."

I switched off the Visor, though I didn't store it on my belt again. _Another thing I need to remember to name. _"Well, hope your boss isn't too upset that we're late." I chuckled. "I remember the fit Sparatus had cause we held off on submitting our report after I got stabbed with a poisoned knife and needed a liver transplant. A little thing like being attacked by mercs would probably be treason to him."

"I actually left some room for you to be given a tour of the station- along with extra time that I knew you'd waste- so we should be right on time for your meeting." Miranda responded.

"Of course you did." I said, rolling my eyes. _This is going to be either really fun with me just trolling them...or I'll go mad with boredom inside an hour._

* * *

**)So, what was that, five minutes before something went wrong? I think that's a record.(**

**T117: Can you please find somewhere else to talk about your exploits in the bedroom?**

**)...(**

You realize of course since he is based on you-

**T117: At this point, he's really not as much...that, or I have some serious issues considering how much I torture him.**

**)Yeah, I'd say the fact that you wrote Iron's character like you did proves you have some serious issues all over the place.(**

**T117: In-story, you created him, so that also means ****_you _****have plenty of issues.**

**)Yeah, but I think everyone already knows that we're all crazy.(**

**T117: Probably.**

**)Okay, well, since the next A/N should be longer, since it's a question chapter, might as well make this a shorter one.(**

**T117: Eh, yeah, good point. So remember to leave questions, and I'll answer them in thursday's A/N. Sayonara.**


	5. Progress?

**Three Months After the Destruction of the Normandy.**

Miranda couldn't decide what the most annoying thing about "Agent" Jason Bourne was. It could have been his complete lack of facial expression when he wanted to hide his thoughts, the fact he obviously was only working with Cerberus because he had to-

"Hey Lawson, you got a minute?"

_-Or the fact that it's bloody impossible to hear him coming. _She looked up to see him spinning a knife between his fingers, though he at least wasn't wearing his armor. Though she was relatively sure that his leather jacket was lined with kevlar or some other material to toughen it- maybe even the same ceramic fibers as her own suit.

"Only if it actually is a minute." She responded, pushing away from her keyboard and standing up. "This project is-"

"Is barely even started." He cut her off, leaning against her desk with one hand. "My point being-" the knife disappeared up his sleeve as he gestured with that hand. "Why exactly am I even needed here right now if all you've got me doing is standing around twiddling my thumbs and occasionally having to judo throw some dumbass when he gets drunk and tries to pick a fight with me?"

"Did the Illusive Man say anything about your presence when you spoke to him?"

"What, you didn't get transcripts of the conversation or something?" He asked, eyebrow raising slightly. "Short answer's no... He's hard to read- and coming from _me _that's saying something- but I think he wants my help once Shepard's up and running- trying to work me over, make me help her agree to work with you guys." His eyes seemed to dim slightly. "Or on the off chance the project somehow fails, he wants me as a replacement."

"Are you saying you think the project will fail?"

He was silent for a moment. "I'll be one hundred percent honest here: I don't have a goddamn clue. But I figure you guys are at least doing something about the Reapers- more than I can say for the Council or Alliance. Which leads me to why I'm here. They might be getting just a _tiny _bit suspicious of the fact that they haven't seen or heard from me in almost a month, given that I don't have any current assignment they know about."

"So you want to go back to check in with them."

"That's what it boils down to, yeah." He said with a shrug. "And seeing as I don't exactly have the Normandy anymore...well, I can't say what you guys are doing bout a replacement for that," he smiled knowingly, "but a shuttle is still within your resources I'd imagine."

She glanced at her screen, then back at him, wondering if he could have somehow intercepted the message about the new Normandy. It would hardly be the first time he'd have revealed information that he shouldn't have had...She made a note to make sure there wasn't a leak with the staff.

"We could provide one of the shuttles for you to use, yes. Provided you're better at driving it than you were with your old Mako."

_"__I swear, you run into _one _wall that materializes out of nowhere and you never live it down._" He muttered. "And yeah, I think I can handle a shuttle. I was watching the pilot when we approached the base the first time."

_Another thing irritating about him- perfect memory. _ "Is there anything else?"

His response was to reach into his coat, then pull out and drop something on her desk. "Next time you plant bugs in my quarters I won't just destroy the cheap ones- _expensive _devices like this get blasted too. Or stabbed, maybe shot, possibly a biotic explosion- all depends on how I'm feeling just then and what's at hand." He shrugged. "Anyway, let me know when the shuttle's ready."

He was gone a moment later with a spin of his heels, leaving only a faint whooshing sound. Miranda added his teleportation to the list for consideration- and made note to set up scanners in the base to try to figure out exactly how he was doing it.

Once he was gone, she opened the email she'd gotten while talking to him, frowning as she read it. Despite the efforts of not only Ceberus's best, but also her own contacts, almost nothing on his past had been dug up. Only tidbits he'd let slip out during interviews- in other words, only things he'd said. _Nothing _that came from other sources, nobody that had known him before he'd appeared on Eden Prime.

The only _possible _thing they'd found was that his name might have been an alias- back in the 21st Century, several novels and later films had featured a man named Jason Bourne- a highly trained assassin with amnesia. While the former part obviously applied to the biotic spectre...She paused and considered that he might actually have had amnesia. It would give him a connection to "Raptor" Shepard- something that they'd previously been unable to find. It was as if they'd become friends overnight without much reason. Fighting alongside each other could have led to it of course, but so strongly?

She forwarded the idea to the psyches, then went back to reviewing the plans for this "Normandy SR-2."

**Line Break**

"The owner is unavailable right now, but will be with you as soon as-"

I cut the VI off as I closed the door behind me. "Access Code 'access code' verification 'suck it blues'"

"Acknowledged. Welcome back Agent Bourne."

"Be a dear and let Hephaestus know I'm on my way down then open the elevator, wouldja?"

"Affirmative."

I took the elevator for once instead of teleporting- he might've had to move things around, or clear up space, so I didn't want to risk teleporting inside a wall or a shelf- or onto a shooting range if that's what he was doing.

He didn't even look up as I walked in. "There were actually fourteen errors in your designs"

"That how all salarians greet each other, or do you reserve that for me?" I asked, slightly amused.

"Most Salarians have never had the _pleasure _of working with you." He turned to look at me, holding out what was obviously a modified scorpion- except it a bitlarger than it would've been when he got a hold of it.

I took it and looked it over, noting that it didn't feel much heavier than a normal scorpion "So, I assume those fourteen errors-"

"To give you some credit, most of them were simply with the scale of the weapon." He brought up his omni-tool and activated the nearby holo range- apparently he'd set up the 3D equivalent of a powerpoint.

"To start with, I modified the thermal clip system back to the older system of heat buildup and diffusion- which took up significant space and necessitated a larger outer shell- one mostly modified from an inactive Venom Shotgun our contact was able to get a hold of. Too damaged even for me to repair, but I was able to get enough from it to understand its micro fabrication units, which made my other job much easier."

I looked up from my examination of the weapon. "You managed to make them modular?"

"And I've already created several variations; the explosives of course, an electric shocking device, an incendiary unit, and I'm working on gas grenades. Though as of yet they only can be set to timed detonations, or motion activated. The remote detonations require the device to be given a dual trigger system, which had to be custom made by Kassa Fabrications. Given that I had to do it anonymously, it will likely be a few weeks before it's complete, at the least."

"Got farther on it than I'd have expected. I'm impressed." I complimented, handing it back to him. "What about the data from Cerberus?"

"I was able to get it and copy it, not decrypt it. You put it in a less than ideal spot."

I shrugged. "I prioritized where it wouldn't be found over where it'd be most effective."

"I see. It must be a human way of thinking." He shook his head. "Regardless, the little I've managed to decrypt so far doesn't pertain to Project Lazarus or Project Phoenix- it appears to be something called the Enhanced Defense Initiative."

I processed that for a second. "AI?"

"It would appear so." He looked at me closely. "You aren't considering what I think you are, are you?"

_Note to self- figure out how to make the body language as unreadable as the face. _"Well...not necessarily an AI, but a more advanced VI might be a good idea. You know, hacking, combat analysis, stuff like that."

"Perhaps I should give you a…-what is the term, a "crash course?"- in hacking or other technical feats." He looked at my left hand, then at me. "Though I don't think omni-tool combat would be your style."

"I actually downloaded an overload program at one point while I was at Lazarus Station. Just pressing a button didn't feel…natural to use- not like my biotics do."

"I take it you deleted the program?"

"Nah, I still have it, I just doubt I'll ever use it. Like I said, my biotics are more intuitive. That's why we keep making things to improve them. Finding and disabling bugs might be a good thing to learn though. I managed to plant a camera of my own to catch them planting them in my quarters so I could remove them, but I doubt the same trick will work twice. And I probably missed a few anyway."

"Doubtlessly." He agreed somewhat smugly. "Well, it's a start at least." He walked over to the weapon's table. "Meanwhile, these are ready for you. The HMWA master assault rifle remodified for heat diffusion, and a HMSWG master shotgun done the same way."

"Gotta love the SPECTRE Grade Weapons." I reached for them to store them on my back to take with me, then hesitated. "Unless Cerberus decides to scan them or whatever and manufacture a few them themselves."

"If they wanted Spectre Weapons, they would not be difficult to find or acquire. The only reason I asked you to get these more legally was for the sake of convenience."

"Aside from the fact that that's _hardly _reassuring-" I gave him an incredulous look. "They cost almost half a million credits! And I ain't exactly swimming in cash here!"

"You cleared me from most of my 'crimes', but holding on to the credits from those ventures seemed unwise anyway. The remainder are in several accounts under various names, for when we need to actually purchase something that our contacts can't acquire illegally...and we're making additional credits as well."

I half glared at him. "Thought I told you to cut out the shady stuff- C-sec might bust in here without me around to warn you or clear you this time."

"It's completely legal. I've simply been selling some of my modifications to the various military organizations across the galaxy. Between STG, your Alliance, C-sec-"

"Mods like what?"

"Most of them were already under development, or in progress. I just finished them in a way vastly superior to what they would've ended up with." He laughed. "Though some departments in your alliance have been attempting to actually modify the omni-tool for close quarters combat capabilities. I wish them luck on that front."  
"Hundred credits says they'll prove you wrong within the next five years." I said, barely hiding a smile. _Me with an omni-blade...now that's a scarily awesome thought. Not something I'll really look into since the biotics make it redundant, but it'd be pretty badass to have...yeah, fuck it, biotics or not I want one._

"I'll be more than happy to take your credits at that time." He said flatly. "In the meantime, I've made some modifications to your "_dreadshot'" _ device that you should test out."

"Yeah...I'm setting up some cushions or something first."

"Given your propensity for destroying technology, perhaps that is a wise idea."

**6 Months after the Destruction of the Normandy.**

"No, she never said anything about that." I answered, having said that thirty-three times already- and expecting to say it many more.

The shrink looked up at me, obviously aware of my annoyance, and gave an apologetic half smile. "Would you like to take a break?"

"No, no, this is important. Keep going."

"Alright. Did she ever discuss why she prefered a Sniper Rifle?"  
"No, she neve- wait-" I thought for a moment. "She never said it directly, but I think it might've been because her eyes were so badly damaged on Mindoir. They said she'd never have 20-20 vision even with the cybernetics to fix them. It wouldn't surprise me if she prefered the weapon out of stubbornness- she proved them wrong." I shrugged. "Least, that'd be my guess. Cause she was 'bout as good a shot with any weapon as she was with that."

She marked that down. "Alright, next question-"

"I gotta ask one of my own first: Is this really necessary this early? Far as I know they're still working on restoring organ function and getting the muscles working again. Brain functions gotta be least a year away."

"We want to have all of this ready in advance. And with how experimental the science is, the time table is anyone's guess."  
_Actually, the timetable is about a year, six months, and 11 days. _"If you say so."

"Alright, next question...Is there any truth to the rumors about you and she being in a relationship?"

"...What."

"Multiple sources observed-"

"No, no, no, and definitely not. No." I waved my hands in front of me. "We were just friends...and while I'd hope you already figured this out, she and Doctor T'soni were actually in a relationship."

"The asari?" She asked wide eyed. She didn't just seem surprised, she seemed almost...scandalized.

_Figures. Cerberus racists. _"Yeah. Dunno if this is relevant, but except on...four occasions I know of she made a point of not actually calling her her girlfriend- kept making excuses about how Asari don't count as women cause they only have the one gender. It slipped out enough times I think she knew it wasn't true though, and was just trying to save face, or didn't want the public knowing 'bout the relationship...couldn't say for sure, but she had to be at least Bi if not lesbian. Never caught her looking at guys, but then I wasn't really thinking about that either."

She looked at me for a minute before scribbling something down. "Do you know of any of previous relationships?"

"Never really came up in conversation, but I'm more inclined to doubt she'd had any. Maybe back on Mindoir, but if there was one I doubt she would've remembered it."

She scribbled that down as well. "Alright, next question then."

I sighed as she asked it. "No, she didn't say anything about that."

And so the interview continued for another hour, before she finally put away the clipboards. "Alright then. Would you like to take a break, or shall we move on to your psychological evaluation?"

It took me a moment to decide I had in fact heard her correctly. "_My _psych eval?"

"Yes. You've been working with Cerberus for nearly six months and have yet to get one. For that matter, you never got one from the Alliance or Citadel either."

"Uh-huh." I leaned back in my chair, and as it started to tip back, I used the motion to teleport onto my bed in my quarters- though I'd landed slightly harder than I intended.

. I brought up my omni-tool to do a quick check for bugs and sighed. _Well, at least they're getting more creative with them. _I thought as I pulled the camera out from behind the one way mirror they'd replaced my real one with. I looked at it for a second before crushing it between two biotically glowing fingers. _Pity. That one looked cheap...a little too cheap..._I looked back behind the mirror, but even with enhanced eyes it took me a moment to find the smaller more non-descript one. _Nice try Miranda...unless there's a third...I need to have Heph improve the damn scanning program._

I slumped back on the bed, not caring just then. _Six months down...way too long to go._

_Wonder if this is what prison feels like?...Except that in this scenario I'm not afraid of taking showers._

* * *

**T117: So, saw Guardians of the Galaxy today..how did they not only make a movie based on that concept, but make it as good or better than the Avengers?!**

**)My guess is a lot of alcohol.(**

**T117: Anyway, really recommend seeing that if you haven't already.  
**

**)Okay, so, questions...Does the Council know what I'm up to?(**

**T117: That'll be answered later...I think. Next question: What guns does Bourne still have from SiaWoF? Well, kinda was touched on here; he kept the S-17 Assassin, for obvious reasons, and his knives for even more obvious reasons.**

**)As for other weapons; they were either destroyed/lost during the battle of the Citadel, or got blown up when I took a rocket to the area where they were stored on my back...or lost them some other way between games. Really, a gun that shoots explosive rounds is already pretty much all a guy with mega-biotics needs.(**

**T117: What about getting new armor? **

**)I've got Hephaestus to work on upgrades, so...well, I got the new Visor last chapter, so take from that what you wish.(**

And then be annoyed when T117 already figured it out ages ago so it is unlikely new suggestions will matter.

**)Okay...something about how I throw someone into wall and it's instant death while Garrus leaves a dent and just blacks out for a few? Not really sure what they're talking about, but Grunt did say something about Turians being tougher to kill, so there's that explanation. Plus, it's ****_me _****doing the throwing.(**

**T117: Okay...is Kasumi going to be showing up?...Yep. Big time.**

And cue the people asking if she is going to be Bourne's LI...or if you'll go with Tali to appease the Talimancers, if he'll end up with Jack or Miranda because they're so similar, or stay loyal to Ashley?

**T117:...You know what, I'll be honest here- I haven't quite decided that part. Yet. I'm leaning towards one option, but as I write and the dynamics seem to evolve...Well, I'm not going to make it a fan poll or anything, I'll say that much now. I'll figure it out.**

**)Okay, here's a question about me wanting any powers I don't already have...Yeah, I've got most of them, but I guess Biotic Orbs could be cool so I have quicker cool downs and can use them for explosions if needed.(**

**T117: That would be a good power for you to have...so would Annihilation Field or Dark Sphere.**

**)...Why do I suddenly get a bad feeling about you typing that?(**

**T117: Anyway, I don't see any other questions, so I'm going to wrap this up.**

**)You're going to have those used against me at some point, aren't you.(**

**T117: Sayonara!**


	6. Omega

**1 year after the destruction of the Normandy**

"Welcome to Omega. You're new here aren't you. I can always te-" I cut the salarian off mid sentence by grabbing him by the throat and tossing him to the side one handed.

"Idiot." I muttered, walking past him as he sat there dazed.

_This'd better be worth it Hephaestus. _I thought, keeping a hand near my S-17 as I walked, all senses on alert. I saw more than a few heads turning my way, some eagerly, but most backed away slightly as they took in the sight of me.

Between the large knives on my shoulders and each boot, and the various throwing knives all over the rest of my body, it was pretty obvious I wasn't' someone you wanted to fuck with.

Add a gun on each hip- my Assassin and an SMG- and the shotgun and assault rifle on my back, and the scars across my face, I looked like someone only a complete idiot would want to mess with.

I nonetheless had to stab 2 people on the way to the meeting when they tried to mug me, and shoot a third. By the time I got there, I'd put on my visor just so the contact wouldn't see me glaring. And I figured the dark purple color- almost black- might help with intimidation.

"Did you bring the mods?" She asked without preamble. Like me, she was in full armor, but she was wearing a helmet that made it impossible to tell her species. She could've been Asari, Human- maybe even Batarian the way her voice was being electronically filtered.

I wordlessly set the package Hephaestus had given me on the table in front of her . She motioned for one of her two bodyguards- also wearing helmets, but much easier to tell their species seeing as they were Krogan- to inspect it. They nodded, then both turned their weapons towards me.

"You know, that bargain your friend made with me...It doesn't work for me so well any more. The Bounty from killing a Spectre though-" I cut her off by lifting both Krogan into the air, and throwing them against the ceiling hard enough they went clean through into the apartment above us.

She froze, and I just smiled slightly as I looked at her in silence.

The silence was broken when the Krogan fell back through the ceiling, sending up clouds of dust as they landed, both apparently out cold.

I flicked a knife into hand casually.

"You have excellent negotiation skills." She said, gulping.

"The package please. Now."

She trembled as she walked over to a safe and opened it, lifting out a set of gauntlets that she set down on the table before backing away. I gathered them and put them in the case as I took out the mods, setting them down in front of her.

"Nice doing business with you." I said before spinning and teleporting to the alley outside.

When I got back to the airlock, a trio of batarians were waiting for me.

"Welcome to Omega- Bourne."

"Funny, I was just planning on leaving Omega." I responded. "Let me guess- Aria sent you?"

"She wants to know what brings a Spectre to Omega."

"Some deals are better conducted in the dark, where pesky things like law and order don't get in the way."

"Uh huh. Is that why you're registered to leave in a week?"

I shrugged. "Well, it was worth a try…though technically the leaving Omega thing wasn't a lie, seeing as I was going to go on the ship, which isn't part of the station."

One of them chuckled, and was glared at by the other two. "You can walk to Afterlife, or we can drag you."

I rolled my eyes and teleported past them into the ship, setting the package down, and then teleported back. I clicked my fingers to get their attention, since they'd rushed over to the airlock when I was gone, and they looked at me like I was a ghost or something.

"Let's go with the walking option." I said flatly. "Since if I killed you- which would doubtlessly be the outcome if you attacked me- it'd just piss Aria off."

"It's three on one." One of them said incredulously.

"Shall we get going, or are you idiots just going to prove me right?"

After exchanging a look, they motioned for me to start walking. I did, then teleported behind them as they walked as well, not trusting them enough to keep my back turned.

The guards waved me through, and I was glad I had my visor on as I entered the club for two reasons. It made it impossible to tell where I was looking- or where it lingered due to something known as a Y-chromosome- and since my eyes were hidden, nobody could tell that they were glowing. I was ready to use my biotics at the drop of a hat.

As I walked up the stairs, the Asari had her back to me, and I stopped a few steps up. Her guards- five of them on the podium- all had weapons cradled, and pointed in my general direction. I thought of about ten ways to take them all down before she turned around to look at me.

"Lt. Jason Bourne. Your presence is unexpected- and possibly annoying."

"I assure you, I am the more annoyed one now. I've petitioned for a higher rank numerous times and yet they insist on keeping me at my current pay grade."

"Scan him." She said to one of her guards, who stepped forward with an omni-tool ready.

"I'm going out on a limb and guessing it isn't a weapon's scan." I said, gesturing to- well, most of me.

"It's to make sure you're who you say you are. Can't be too careful."

"It's him." The guy said, moving back to where he'd been.

She sat down, and motioned for me to sit as well.

I did so, concealing a knife into my left hand as I sat, just in case.

"Not very often Spectres come out here." She commented. "Why did you?"

"Maybe I just wanted a drink." I said with a chuckle.

"Spectres represent law and order- not something Omega is fond of."

I smiled. "I would prefer to not discuss the specifics of what I'm doing here- but I plan on leaving Omega's one rule intact." The smile dropped. "Unless you _fuck _with _me _first."

"I'm a dangerous person to have as an enemy. Remember that."

"I was about to say something similar about The Illusive Man." I slowly raised my hand, popping the blade on the knife and examining it. "And myself."

"Cute." She said dully, unimpressed.

I stored the knife with a quick flick of my wrist. "Anyway, the plan isn't to do anything to mess with your or your 'businesses'."

"Maybe you're smarter than you look." One of the Batarians said.

"Question- would knocking him out count as 'fucking with Aria?'"

"I dare you to try it." He said, biotics flaring around him.

I looked at Omega's queen, who just shrugged, and made a vaguely approving gesture.

I lunged at him, teleporting in mid air, and spinning as I reappeared, ending up behind him as he stared at where I'd been. He barely managed to turn around before I'd knocked him out cold with a strong punch, backed up with some biotics.

The other four half raised their weapons before lowering them again.

"You might want to think about hiring some guards that are actually competent." I commented as I sat down. "Granted, from what I've heard about you you scarcely need protection, but it'd save you some headache."

She chuckled softly. "I think you're the type of person I could grow to like."

"I've found my presence is definitely an acquired taste."

She studied me for a moment. "You're not just here for the shady deals."

I gave her a skeptical look, before realizing half of it was obscured by the visor I still hadn't thought up a name for. I clicked it off, though I left it on my head so I could reactivate if I needed to. "What makes you say that?"

"Experience. You don't survive in a place like this- let alone rule it- if you don't know when someone's hiding something."

"You also don't get far with honesty." I pointed out, before shrugging. "The timing didn't really matter, but I ain't exactly in the mood for anniversaries. Battle of the Citadel wasn't long ago, and today they're bound to have some memorials for the Normandy Crew- plus a few more personal ones coming up."

"Fascinating." She said dryly.

"You asked _me_, not the other way around. Anyway, how exactly do I dismiss myself here? Cause I get the feeling if I did it to you the way I would with the Council, that'd count as breaking Omega's one rule."

"What way is that?"

"Usually I just hang up on them mid sentence, or walk away without bothering to hang up, or something like that."

"Heh, that always does piss Tevos off."

"Yeah, no kidding...that's why it's so fun to do."

* * *

It was a sign of how drunk I'd managed to get myself that I managed to not taste the poison until the third sip, when I started to feel slightly queasy. Even then I thought it was the alcohol. But as I turned to ask the bartender where the bathrooms were, I recognized him, and sighed. "Tell me you didn't seriously just try to poison me."... It came out more slurred than that, but for the sake of being able to read…

"What?"

"You heard me. You put poison in that one." I forced myself to focus, but the bar was literally covered in empty glasses stacked several feet tall- each formerly filled with enough alcohol to kill a normal human.

"You're drunk. Go home."

My response was to reach across the bar and grab him by the throat- a response which netted me several weapons aimed my way. He smiled mockingly, my head obscuring the sight from anywhere else.

I slowly released him, then slowly and deliberately walked out. I was far from sober, but still enough so I could tell trying anything in that state would've been a mistake.

I half expected someone to try to mug me on the way back to the airlock, but apparently even stumbling and swaying I looked dangerous enough to dissuade them. I punched in the key code five times before realizing I was trying to enter the wrong airlock, and moved over to the correct one, leaning against the wall as it processed me.

_Not a single call. To or from. In an entire year. _I didn't bother trying to remove my armor before I collapsed on the bed. _You were worried about her leaving on Horizon…and instead..._

"I left her." I said aloud, feeling the alcohol still in my system, and wondering if I'd have a hangover in the morning. They were tricky for me to get, but not impossible.

I felt a haze settling over my vision, eyes not wanting to stay open. _I wonder why that is? I mean, I'd think this amp would be overcharged or whatever it is that Jack has._

My eyes finally slid shut, and for a moment I hovered in the space between consciousness and sleep. Instead, I found myself in the void that had once held Hero and Iron.

Somehow clearheaded in here, I looked around. There was only emptiness. _Why is this still here? I mean, if they're gone…_

_(What makes you think we're gone?)_

I spun around, as a red blur hit me square in the chest and sent me flying back, making me land flat on my ass.

I rolled to the side and teleported, charging at Iron the second I was back. I almost seemed to bounce off of him, and he grabbed me by the throat.

"I'll never be gone Bourne." He said, face split into a cruel smile. "Remember? That whole speech about the nightmares, and the dark corners of your mind?"

My answer was to swing myself in his grip and kick him in the face, breaking his grip and letting me teleport to gain some distance.

"Why exactly do we have to do this dance again?" Iron almost seemed bored. "How many times did we fight?"

"Funny, I was about to say something similar. And I kicked your ass every time."

"No you didn't. I mean, you kicked my face, or my ribs, but the ass got left alone. Why was that? I mean, I've got a great ass, don't I?"

"Oh, sorry, your face looks so much like an ass I got the two confused." I charged and hit him with a nova, which had the same effect as last time- absolutely nothing. This time he backhanded me, and it sent me flying in a way that defied every law of physics I knew. I slammed into a door that appeared out of nowhere, and slid to the ground dazed.

"Funny." He made a gesture, and more doors appeared, until it looked like we were in the hallway of a hotel made of chrome. "You know, they say the eyes are the doorway to the mind. But I think these doors are what really are the doorways."

I got up slowly, and glanced at the doors, before turning my attention back to him. "What's this, a gameshow?"

"No, just a little...mind game." The doors disappeared, leaving us again in the void. But one door remained- on the floor. It sounded as though it was being beaten on from the otherside.

"Your memories." He said simply. "Your real memories."

For a moment, I stared. "Interesting." I drew back a hand, and lobbed a flare right at the door. The explosion was too intense to look at, but when I looked back, the door was still there, and the beating continued.

"You can't destroy them any more than you could destroy me." He smiled, but despite the cruelty there, there was a hint of something else...compassion? Understanding?

"Geez, and I thought I was in the twilight zone before." I shook my head. "How drunk do I have to be to get this kinda crazy dream?...Or maybe it's the poison?"

"Don't derail me here- I had a whole speech planned!" He cleared his throat. "You can't destroy them, because they're a part of you. I am too- your dark half- the part you keep locked away."

His biotics blazed around him, thick enough I couldn't see him through them, then they turned to purple, and when they were gone it was Hero who stood in his place. "I'm the best of you- parts you don't even really know you have."

"...Maybe I shouldn't have teleported out on that pysch exam they sprung on me... Or the second or third ones."

"Meh, they're overrated." Iron's voice came from behind me, and I spun around to toss a group of several knives. They stuck into him, but as he looked down they melted into nothingness and the wounds healed.

I immediately replaced them with more.

"Oh come on, was the crotch shot really needed?" Iron asked, wincing with pain as he pulled them out and they again fell into nothingness. "I mean, you can't stop me with little- great, now you hit my _other _testicle."

"And there's plenty more knives where that came from." I stated, reaching for more. My armor promptly shifted into my normal look now- the coat, work jeans and boots. I slid a knife from my sleeve into hand, but it vanished before I even threw it. I could tell by the sudden lack of weight that all my weapons were gone.

I focused on bringing them- and my armor- back, but without any luck. _Figures._

"Stubborn as always." Hero commented.

"Till death." I responded coldly.

"If we were here to kill you, you'd already be dead." Iron responded with a roll of his eyes. "Or do you think you could beat both of us at once?"

"I don't." I smiled, and he actually took a step back. "I _know _I can beat you both." I took a step towards him, and he took another step back. "You lost Iron. Every time we've ever fought. You were made to lose- in the end, you'd have thrown it all away." His armor melted off of him like mine had, and I spun around to Hero. "And you-...Maybe you were meant that way too. You won the big fights, but lost the ones that mattered. Kaidan died on Virmire, then your one true love...you couldn't stop his killer either."

"And you couldn't stop your relationship from breaking apart." She responded.

"Or your best friend from dying." Iron chimed in.

"Or-"

"Yeah, I get it." I cut them off. "I suck too. You want to see the full inventory of people I've killed?"

"You also saved-"

"The same number of people you did. That was a singular 'you' directed towards Hero, by the way." I commented to Iron. "Accidental saving doesn't count."

"I figured."

The ground seemed to shift below me, spinning me around as they slid closer together so they stood side by side, with me across from them.

"You're not the monster you think you are Bourne." Hero said.

"I'm the monster you think I am, but that's beside the point." Iron said with a shrug.

"Why the hell did my subconscious pick you two for the pep talk?" I commented, looking between them. "I mean, Raptor would've been far more effective without me trying to stab things in the process."

I walked over to another door that popped up as I willed it, and stepped through with them on my heels into the one location I knew from my old life- my game room.

I slowly walked around, vague outlines becoming clearer as I walked around. The couch was beat up and stained with what looked like ketchup on the back- I'd picked it up cheap at a garage sale.

The TV across from it was a flatscreen, hooked up to the original model of Xbox 360. The rug was thick and grey, and the lights were turned off, just like they always were when I played. A lamp next to the couch provided the only illumination. I sat down on the couch, and it felt alien, but at the same time familiar.

"Maybe you miss this old place more than you realized." Hero said softly.

"More than you could imagine." I said dryly.

"Well...what the hell stops you from going back now?" Iron asked, scratching his head. "I mean, your GF isn't here to hold you back. Raptor's dead, and on her way to being brought back."

I shook my head, though I couldn't stop it from lingering on the flight of rug covered stairs at the back of the room. What lay beyond that door at the top I had no idea. I yanked my head back to look at them. "You're right on both counts. But even if this wasn't some drug and alcohol fueled dream, I wouldn't take the offer."

"Okay, why this time?" Iron sighed.

"If I disappeared, it'd throw things for a loop. Maybe not a big one, but it could shift things just enough...if she was at, say, the collector base and had a moment of doubt cause I wasn't there-" I snapped my fingers and the lamp nearby went out, plunging the room into darkness.

"Drama queen." Iron muttered.

Hero snapped her fingers to turn the light back on. "And if you beat the Reapers- if you fulfill all the obligations you somehow feel-"

"There'll be cleanup after the Reapers are beaten too. Even if there's not-" I shrugged. "I'm not the same man I was when I hit that button in the center of the x-box and got struck by lightning. I can't just go back to this life. I'd like to-" The room seemed to fracture like a mirror struck by a rock, and exploded into nothingness, leaving us back in the void. "But I can't."

It also left me sitting on nothing, and I promptly fell on my ass. _Could've thought that part out more._

"You are a stubborn man." Hero commented.

"And you look like a lesbian with that haircut."

Both of us silently turned to Iron.

"What? I thought we were saying obvious stuff as a game or something?...seriously, nobody else sees that?"

"Wow. Even in my dreams you're insane." I commented, the void starting to close in, lose the sense of infinitude.

"At least I'm consistent." He retorted before fading away, leaving just me and Hero.

She gave me a sad but approving smile and was gone too, before blackness overtook me.

* * *

**)...Trebor, please tell me you didn't-(**

**(Yeah, he invited us to the A/N.)**

***He's never claimed to be very smart.***

**T117: Smart enough that I can have CTHI log both of you off if you annoy me.**

**(But being annoying is like 80% of my character!...The other 40% is being insane, and another 10% is me saying whatever random ass funny stuff you come up with that you don't want someone else to say.)**

***...Also, how can you annoy yourself with your own writing?***

**T117: I have no idea- I hate reading through chapter 25 of SiaWoF because that's the one with Talitha and the whole colonist background cause that whole thing is kinda depressing; I'm pretty sure either of you could cause a similar reaction, except more based on hate.**

**(Is that a challenge or…?)**

**T117: No, because I think I ****_could _****actually have you do that if I tried, and if you were going to do that, it oughta be in the story itself rather than the A/N.**

***Wait, but that was just a dream/flashback type deal just now, wasn't it? Are you saying we might show up again later?***

**T117: *insert troll face.**

***Of course that's your answer.***

**(What, it's a perfectly acceptable one to me... now it'll just make even more people wonder what he's going to do with us, if we're still in Bourne's head after UiaWoF, ect.)**

**T117: But the good news is that people might find out the answer slightly sooner- I decided to just say what the hell and go back to Mon, Wed, Fri releases. No guarantees it'll stay that way, but I can at least keep it up for a couple weeks without worrying about the backlog.**

**)And because you're an reviewslut and you hope for more reviews more often.(**

**(Yeah, is it possible to be addicted to reviews? Cause he might actually be.)**

**T117: Speaking of...well, no it actually isn't related at all, but I needed some sorta segway- Spike, myself, and a couple other authors started a new 'multiplayer' fanfic called Tango Squad. It should be up on his profile not long after I post this- tomorrow at the latest.**

**)I'll give you a hint which person he wrote for- it's the one Spike didn't write for.(**

Ty already made pretty much the same joke over on Spike's story.

**)...Who's Ty?(**

Sigh. Nevermind...but yeah, Trebor pretty much completely stole the joke since Starspike mentioned it on Xbox Live earlier.

**T117: Yeah, so? Still a funny joke, even if I did rip him off; least I'm giving him credit for it.**

**)Anyway, we should probably wrap this up.(**

**T117: Sayonara.**

***I should go.***

**(Later su **Crazey Metal has been logged off by host.

**)That'll never get old, will it.(**

Negative. Farewell.


	7. The Threat, The Tech, and The Thief

**One year, eight months after the destruction of the Normandy.**

Miranda glanced up from her screen as Bourne threw the door to her office open, biotics raging around him.

"Can you give me a _single _good reason not to kill you right now?" He exclaimed bluntly.

She slowly grabbed the pistol she'd attached to the underside of her desk, though she kept it out of view. "What part of Cerberus are you irrationally angry at this time?"

"I am looking at the sole component- and I think in this case, my anger is more than justifiable." He said, though his biotics slowly faded. She had no doubt he'd slipped a knife into his hand from his sleeve though. That blasted coat held a couple dozen of the things at least. "A bug from you I repurposed just tagged a rather _interesting _email."

Miranda didn't feel fear easily, but the look in his eye and the rage displayed on his usually serene face tempted her.

"I figured that you had a few low standards Lawson, but wanting to put a control chip in her brain?" He slammed both fists on her desk, sending off small shockwaves of biotic energy that scattered the datapads on it. "I knew you were blind to how Cerberus really get its kicks, but I didn't think you were so screwed up to do something like that yourself."

"Your current attitude only proves my requests were justified." She said, angling the pistol so it was aimed at him through the desk.

He pushed himself back, his face fading back to his expressionless norm. "I _will _do everything I can to make you, The Illusive Man, and all of Cerberus answer for all you've done." His tone left no doubt that he meant every word. "But for now, I need you. Keep that in mind." He smiled. "After all, you know none of my secrets, but I know plenty of yours. Enough information to put Cerberus down in the right hands."

"If you were going to do that, you'd have already done it."

"Yes, I would have. As I said, I need you. Despite all your...faults, you have one redeeming quality. You actually are taking action against the Reapers. And you've been putting together a ship, crew, and several dossiers for the best to help us take them down."

"Spying on our messages again?"

"Obviously, though I didn't need to in order to figure _that _out. I make no claims at being a genius, save for a few fields, but I'm far smarter than I let on. I can figure the connections between things with very little evidence to work with." The smile faded from his face. "And if you don't figure that out soon...your _sister _will."

She froze, though she managed to keep her face relatively composed. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Would clone work better as a description?" He asked, crossing his arms. "I know you're not the first or the last person your father...grew. Just the first he kept. And for whatever reason, he also created Oriana as a backup plan- genetically your twin, minus the age."

She felt her hand pressing to her stomach all of a sudden, and yanked it away.

"So - at what was it, nineteen?- you took your baby sister slash clone and left him behind, coming to Cerberus for protection, with your baby sis being given to a normal family for a normal life." His face twitched for the briefest of moments towards something that looked like disgust. "Bit hypocritical when you think about it. You worked so hard for so long to keep your family away from your father's influence- controlling your education, your training, your bloody DNA itself. Yet you didn't hesitate for a second to inflict such control on _my _family." He glanced down. "You know, not to change the subject, but will you kindly stop pointing that 'hidden' gun at me before I punch through the table and destroy it? Firing it would only piss me off more anyway- or do you think a predator round can go through the table itself, and have enough impact to get through the armor in the jacket?"

She lowered her hand from the table. And immediately had her SMG aimed at his head as she stood.

He held up a hand, palm towards her as if ready to throw a biotic attack her way, also putting up a biotic barrier. She noted that there was a glove on his hand before turning her attention back to his face.

"Note that I called Raptor my family. I mean that very seriously. In those short months I knew her, she became my sister in all but blood. My greatest friend, if sister seems an exaggeration to you." His eyes narrowed dangerously. "Point being, I get what hurting your sister would do to you, and it's a course I don't wish to take. But if the threat of doing so is the only way to insure that you keep your control chips to yourself…"

For what seemed like an eternity, her finger rested on the trigger. Slowly, she removed it, and lowered the gun.

"That's what I thought." He said, lowering his hand as well, as though it were a weapon. "Now that the unpleasantness is out of the way, I had a less...confrontational thing I wanted to discuss. These...Dossiers. As I understand, there currently are six of them."

"Technically four." She said after a moment, sitting back down and motioning for him to take a seat as well.

He remained standing instead, and tilted his head to the side in question. "What do you mean?"

"The dossiers represent potential squad members- you or Shepard will have to convince them to work with you. Two of them have already been approached in advance, and they seem willing to work with us as is."

"Ah. Kasumi Goto and Zaeed Massani, correct?"

She grit her teeth. _How does he continue to find this type of information out? Operatives on the citadel have confirmed that only a _fraction _of this information is coming from that Salarian weapon's dealer...we've found some of his other contacts, but even if its all added together he's getting information he shouldn't be able to get to. _"Yes."

"My question being, if they've already agreed to this deal-"

"You're hardly a negotiator." She cut him off. "Sending you for any of the other four would be idiotic."  
"Obviously." He said, surprising her slightly. Evidently, he noticed that. "Raptor and I have very different skill sets. I'm better with knives, biotics, and can threaten almost anyone to get them to agree to my demands; case proven only a few moments ago. She is the better shot, punches harder than I'll ever be able to, and is able to convince people to do what she wants with the sheer force of her character. Or some poetic description along those lines that means she's a good negotiator."

He shrugged, and sat down, flicking a knife into hand and spinning it around his fingers without seeming to be aware of it. "Threats have a time and place. We need them to work with us willingly- unless we have some threat big enough they'd work with us out of sheer fear, which I doubt is the case. And as I am not convincing enough to get them to agree to work with us, we need Raptor before we approach them." The knife disappeared, only to reappear in the other hand "I was going to suggest- before you interrupted me- that I...collect them and bring them here. Or perhaps to the station where you've sent Chakwas, Chambers, Donnelly and Daniels, and of course Joker. By the way, you did build a Co-captain's room on the Normandy SR-2 for me, right? I mean, seeing as I'm technically the XO, I'd hate to kick you out of your room by the mess hall and make you need to walk farther for food."

The sheer ease at which he laid the information before her amazed her, annoyed her- and though she hated to admit it- impressed her.

"I'll speak to The Illusive Man about it."

"I doubt Timmy will say no." He said, standing up with the knife no longer anywhere in sight.

"Must you call him that?" She asked, exasperated.

"What, do _you _want a nickname too?" He asked over his shoulder as he left the room. The door tried to close behind him, but he'd evidently damaged it with his entrance.

She made a note to take that out of his next paycheck.

**One year, nine months after the Normandy's destruction.**

"Citadel control, this is Spectre Jason Bourne, requesting docking permission for dock 422."

That statement was greeted with silence for so long, I wondered if the radio had busted.

"Roger that- we will need confirmation upon arrival."

I forwarded the info. "I was going to meet with Councilor Anderson when I got there anyway. He can confirm that I'm expected. And if he wants additional proof it's me, ask him if Udina still has all his teeth."

That also produced a long bout of silence. "Docking permission is granted Agent Bourne."

"Roger that." I responded, clicking the radio off and focusing on flying without running into something else. I was better at this than Raptor was at driving the mako- though admittedly that wasn't something to quite be proud of- but I didn't want to run into something. Luckily, I made it there without incident, and stepped out of the shuttle into the airlock. _So, talk to Anderson, Hephaestus, than stop back here and pick up Kasumi. _

_And with my luck, probably get shot at several times._

I stepped through, and the human receptionist glanced up at me for a moment, then did a double take as she took in my armored appearance. I left the visor on my belt for the moment; I still hadn't thought of a name for it.

"Um…" She paused and swallowed. "I'll need you to remove your weapons before proceeding onboard."

"I'm a Spectre. Jason Bourne. So, no, I don't."

She looked nervous, but also slightly amused. "Well, the makeup is better done than most of you I've seen lately, but the armor isn't quite right. He didn't have quite that many knives and the gloves weren't bronze like that."

"Most of- There's been imposters claiming to be me?" I shook my head, and opened my omni-tool. It took me a few moments to figure out exactly how to do it- I'd upgraded the tool a few times since Hephaestus first showed me how- but I brought up my full ID, along with my Spectre verification clearance and related info. "Is that satisfaction enough?"

She took several minutes to look through it before nodding. "My apologies."

"No need." I waved her off. "You're just doing your job."

She unlocked the door and I stepped through- immediately setting off alarms. I looked ruefully at the guards. "Weapons setting them off?"  
"That, plus unlicensed biotic amps, genetic mods, and other contraband." One of them responded, shutting them off. "Go on through."

* * *

It only took me a few minutes to get to Anderson's office. Teleporting made it easy, and I'd had Hephaestus give me a program to detect where all the cameras were so I wouldn't be recorded doing it.

He stood up from his desk as he heard me come in, walking over to shake my hand. "Bourne. Good to see you again."  
"Likewise sir."

He motioned me to sit down. "I'm sorry the rest of the council was unable to make it. It was rather short notice."  
"I didn't know I'd be coming until a few hours before I told you." I said with an apologetic shrug as I sat. "My work's been keeping me busy lately."

"I was going to ask about that. You haven't checked in with the Council or the Alliance since that hearing not long after...the destruction of the Normandy." He put his hands together in front of him as he leaned across the desk. "What exactly have you been up to?"

"The same thing I would've been doing had the Normandy survived. Doing everything I can do to help find evidence of the Reapers, and or stop them." Not technically a lie- and even if it was, he'd find out the truth soon enough anyway, so I didn't feel that guilty. "Setting up a network of contacts, among other things. Not exactly as tough as going after Saren, but it's kept me busy."

"I see...I'll be frank with you Lt. Bourne." He said, though he smiled slightly as he said that oh so hated name. "I've heard some disturbing rumors lately."

I was glad for the poker face as I swore to myself that I was going to kick The Illusive Man's ass if I ever met him in person. "About what? You've heard something about The Reapers? Or is the Geth?" I feigned ignorance.

"There are rumors that you've been working with Cerberus."

"...Oh, yeah, sure. I've totally been working with terrorists after I helped Raptor take down every cell of theirs I could find." I said with as much sarcasm as I could fake..

"There are also rumors that Shepard is alive."

"...I can't tell you how much I wish she was." _If she were, we'd be way ahead of schedule and I could stop with crap jobs and waiting around._

He studied my face, though I didn't know why he bothered. He nodded after a moment though. "I thought as much. But I had to ask." He sat back in the chair. "Have you had any luck?"

"If I had found something new, you would know." I sighed. "As of now, there is no information I can give you that isn't already known."

He nodded. "I figured as much. I don't suppose you want a different assignment- one more in the public eye?"

"No. I'm here to follow up on something- otherwise I doubt you would've seen me at all for months, if not longer."

He shook his head. "And I don't suppose I could convince you to stop-"

"With all due respect Councilor, there is evidently nothing more to be said on the subject of the Reapers, or the Geth." I said, an edge to my tone. "Unless there is anything further, I should get back to work."

"Watch it Bourne. The Spectre status can be taken away as easily as it was given, as can your rank in the alliance."  
"So I'm aware. Sir." I paused. "There is one...personal matter. Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams- I'd like to get in contact with her if it's possible."

"It's Operations Chief now, actually. Unfortunately, her location and assignment are classified. If it was for something more than personal reasons, I'd see what I could do, but…"

I was silent for a moment. "No. I suppose that's it." I stood up and teleported out without waiting for his reply, ending up in an alley nearby. Two years earlier I'd have punched the wall in frustration, but I had a slightly better handle on such things now.

_Though if someone tried to mug me right now- _I suddenly felt something press against the back of my head. "I want it all. Weapons, Armor, Credits." The voice sounded Turian.

_Huh. That worked out well._

I charged backwards, point blank, and spun around with my barrier at full strength- which was good, cause he had four friends with him. _Crap armor, basic weapons...well that takes most of the fun out of it._

A domed barrier surrounded me as they opened fire, and I waited for them to pop their heat sinks before charging at the nearest one and turning to another with my left hand in front of me. _Guess this thing's first test is going to be a field test. _I focused my nova through the disc on my palm, and a powerful beam of energy shot forth, sending him flying into a nearby dumpster, and knocking him out cold on impact. _Huh. That was more powerful than I expected for 30 percent of the max._

I turned to the other two as they reloaded, ripping the guns from their hands. Both pulled batons off their backs, electricity crackling around the ends.

_Well, I guess if I'm testing out part of the upgrade..._I took a breath, and focused my biotics into my arms as I flicked my wrists. Both of them took a surprise step back as long blue energy whips emerged from my palms, and I smiled as I grabbed them and cracked them an inch in front of their feet. "Drop the sticks and you can walk away. Keep the sticks and you wind up in the hospital."

They looked at each other, than rushed at me. I swung my right arm in front of me, knocking them both into the wall with a sweeping motion of the lash, before turning to the original guy as he got back up, and slamming one of the lashes down on his skull. His eyes rolled up in his head and he fell to the ground.

I looked at the lashes for a moment before powering them down. _Hephaestus knows what he's doing, I'll give him that. Have to test how they work without the armored bits before long._

I made my way to his store, the VI greeting me cheerfully. "Welcome back Lt. Bourne."

I stopped and looked at it. "Lt. Bou- that sonofabitch changed how you address me, didn't he."

"Affirmative."

"Tell him I'm on my way down." I growled as I stepped into the elevator.

He didn't bother looking up as I walked in- as usual. "The scorpion modifications are complete."

"So are the ones for the gauntlets."

He looked up in surprise, and took in the sight of my arms. The armored plating looked no different than a normal set apart from the color- though only because I wanted to do the knife system myself as a matter of pride and as a personal challenge. It was proving more difficult than I remembered.

Despite that, the salarian walked over rapidly, grabbing an arm and stripping off the outer armored components. "You are either an idiot or insane."

"Since I got it to work, I'd suggest genius as a third answer" I responded. "And I just tested it a moment ago when a couple idiots tried to mug me, so I know it works."

He stopped and looked at me in surprise again. "How did you- this device takes an advanced understanding in eezo science to even begin to program, yet you seem to have it perfectly calibrated."

"I memorized a couple hundred books and papers about such science when I was trying to figure out how the teleporting worked." I shrugged. "Had a lot of free time. I put that info to use with these."

"Well, it looks like you knew what you were doing" He grabbed some tools and motioned me over to the chair nearby, leaning it back as I sat down and lifting the arms. "But the cybernetics need a bit of adjustment."

"I figured they might."

The armor wasn't important to the device- not with the modifications we'd made. All the stasis tech to generate the lashes and the focusing device for the Dreadshot were located inside the arm itself, between the two bones and under all the muscles. It'd been a good thing I was ambedrexis and had high pain tolerance, so I could install the tech in both arms.

Though it'd taken more medigel than I'd expected, and I'd had to teleport to a clinic to get more with an arm just heavily bandaged at one point mid procedure- which was a whole hassle in and of itself.

"Well?" I asked after several minutes of him tinkering and making adjustments.

"You made an error with the under webbing- it wouldn't have hooked up to the rest of your suit properly, and would have broken apart in a vacuum. The good news is, I've made improvements since then, so now it can fully retract into the arm and be stored as a liquid polymer. Normally, it'd be an irritant to human tissue, but your cybernetics and genemods mean it won't be a problem for you." He pulled his hand away, and gestured to it.

I shrugged and flicked my wrist. The black webbing covering the hand disappeared, leaving metal bands around my wrist and near the elbow, connected by straight bands along the top and bottom of the arm. "Fancy." I commented. "Heck of a lot better than those damn ports."

I gestured to the rest of the armor. "And then that'll just slip on over the webbing when it's time for a mission?"

"Yes. Now hold still so I can do your other arm."

I examined my right hand as he worked on the left, musing that with the empty space there- since the dreadshot was only on the left hand- there might be room for a different device of some sort. Not that I could think of any.

"And, done." He said, pulling away. I flicked my wrist to store the device, then flicked both wrists to have the webbing covering them again, along with the bands still there. "Damn, I need to give you a bonus for this." I looked at the components that fit over the top of it and frowned. "There any way to make those fit in the arm too, or maybe layer over the metal already here? I dunno how, but I figure it's worth asking."

"Possibly." He said after a moment. "I'd have to run some simulations, but I think I could make it work."

"You're a miracle worker." I said, standing up, and wincing slightly as the recent incisions made themselves apparent. Medigel had its limits. "So, this...Mosquito. Can you give me a full run down?"

"Mosquito?"

"Well, it's hardly a Scorpion now. Unless you have a better name for it?" I shrugged. "It's that or Wasp, but I think the former sounds cooler."

He gave me an odd look, but walked over to grab the device- along with several of the modular fabrication units. "Obviously, these load into the bottom of the device like so. This one has the electric shock." He walked over to the shooting range and sent several of the mines to the other end. "The dial on the side sets it to either a timed detonation, a motion tracker, or remote detonation with the second trigger." He pointed to a small chip on the side- almost too small for me to see, even with the enhanced sight. "I also included a DNA reader- currently only set for you or I. If someone it's not coded to tries to fire it-" He pulled the second trigger, and the targets were instantly sparking with electricity- enough to kill or at least stun. "They'll have a rather nasty surprise."

I motioned for him to give it to me, and I looked it over myself. "Might want to install a second one on the other side, for if it's fired left handed. Also-" I brought up my omni-tool, and synced it to the datachip. It beeped after a moment, and I gave it back to him. "Code the new chip to that DNA signature as well."

"Commander Shepard?"

"Correct."

He nodded, and set it back on the table as I brought the outered armor components of the gauntlets to me and reattached them. "Any idea how long that'll take?"

"Perhaps two weeks."

I gave him a skeptical look

"It is a very advanced chip, and you are not my only client."

"Fair enough I suppose." I muttered. "By the way, cute of you to program the VI with the name change."

"I suspected that might annoy you sufficiently." He said with a small smile. "Is there anything else?"

"Well...do you still have that spare scorpion?"

"Far wall, chest level." He said, seeming amused. "And yes, I modified it for the heat diffusion system."

I dashed over, and held it up with a raised eyebrow.

"I thought black would go better with your armor."

"Indeed it does." I said, tucking the black painted weapon to my belt, just above my SMG

I teleported upstairs with that. "VI, log me out. Code B312, verification hyper-lethal."

"Acknowledged."

* * *

I glanced around the bay as I stepped through the security checkpoint, then looked at the time on my omni-tool. _Message said sometime between three and four, and it's quarter after now...unless they meant Citadel time, in which case I'm like 30 minutes early...what is that in normal minutes? Argh, I thought the metric system was bad, but with time it's even worse._

One of the nearby advertisements suddenly flickered into a women in a hood, and I smiled. _Guess that answers that question._

"Lt. Bourne, enter your password to receive a free gift."

I rolled my eyes as I walked over, also looking to see if I could spot her on the catwalk and just teleport up. _You'd think 'the best thief in the galaxy' could be more subtle. I mean, she's probably snuck all sorts of crap onto my ship already, so it's not like she couldn't meet me in there._

"Please enter your password Lt. Bourne."

"Being quiet is Bronze. No, no, it was…" I clicked my fingers a few times, pretending to think. "Secrecy is silver, peace is platinum...nope I can't think of it."

She chuckled. "Close enough."

"Kasumi Goto, I presume? Kinda expected something a bit less...ridiculous looking, since I'm standing here talking to an advertisement."

I looked up at the catwalk above me, and did a sort of squat jump to teleport up there, coming up behind her. She spun around, and cloaked a moment later.

"What, did I startle you?" I asked, making a guess at where she was to look at. The outline in the air was hard to see, but I could faintly hear her breathing from there.

She uncloaked a moment later. "Well, the eyes aren't exactly something you see every day."

"You oughta see Shepard's, or The Illusive Man's. Now those peepers are freaky." I shrugged. "You want to continue this on the ship you've doubtless broken into and out of by now?"

"You really should consider upgrading the security for that." She said. "I'll meet you there- I doubt you want to take my way, and walking in isn't my style."

"I had something else in mind." I held a hand out. "If you're interested in a shortcut."

"Is it the same way you came up here?"

"Yep."

She shrugged. "What the heck. I'll try anything once." She grabbed my hand, and I spun on my heels, teleporting us both into the back room of the shuttle- which was now full of some paintings, books, and other things that would end up in the starboard observation lounge eventually.

She held her head as she stumbled a bit. "And, I tried it once. That'll do it for me."

"Uh, what's up with the tuxedo?" I pretended to ask, seeing one draped across the back of a chair.

"Yeah. Might have to return it though- I had to guess your size."

"What, you want my help on a heist?"

"It's a bit of a story."

"It's a long flight." I smiled.

* * *

**T117: And...yeah, nothing really to say this time around. Sayonara.**


	8. Let's Party! And Steal from the Host!

"Please tell me I don't look as ridiculous as I feel." I commented, tugging at the tight cuffs of the suit to loosen them. The fact that they kept getting caught on the arm bands that my gauntlets retracted into didn't help.

"You look great, actually. Might want to consider wearing this stuff more often."

I gave her a flat look before my eyes went back to the mirror just above my head. We were currently in an air car on our way to Donovon Hock's party- though with the timing, I doubted it was the same one Shepard would've gone to. Must've been a monthly thing or something.

The fact that I knew the plan ahead of time meant I could get her to spill some of the details, and I made a change or two of my own to the various backstory she'd given "David Webb."...Yeah, lame joke, but it was better than Solomun Gun.

I'd also edited the picture slightly, to something I could recreate as a disguise; If Hock hadn't recognized Shepard in game, he might not have known my face, but I didn't want to take the chance. Which meant that I'd covered two of my scars with makeup, and actually made the lower on on my cheek longer, going past my lip down to my chin and onto my throat. I'd also made my skin a bit darker, to further throw him off if he looked.

"Alright, you had your fun using me to play dress up. You got the gear stashed in the statue of Saren I'll probably end up melting when we're done with this?"

"Armor, guns, enough knives for a butcher shop."

"All except my good gun." I said, feeling my pocket for my assassin. "Luckily, it's made of materials that weapons scanners can't detect."

"You sure about that?"

"It was made for the Salarian STG; never had a problem so far. Even if they do detect it…I've got other ways to take people down." I flicked my wrists to make sure the gauntlets- or maybe gloves would be more accurate since they didn't have armor- were working, then flicked again to store them as we landed.

I saw the statue of Saren and had to resist the urge to blow it apart with a Flare then and there. I took a breath and got my face composed again before stepping forward. I took another few steps before realizing Kasumi was behind me, and turned around to face her. "Cloak."

"What?"

"The invitation was for David Webb, not Webb plus one." I gestured to her hood. "Besides which, that outfit might blend in during a late night jewel snatch or something, but here it'd only make him suspicious. Of an assassin or something at the least, of you specifically at the worst."  
She hesitated, but then activated her omni-tool and disappeared from sight. "I hope you know what you're doing."

I turned back around and kept walking. "So do I." I muttered. The guard scanning the statue held up a hand to stop me. "One moment sir- there seems to be a problem with the statue."

"What kind of problem?"

"The scans aren't picking anything up. Like they're being blocked." He kept his free hand near his pistol, and I surreptitiously activated my left glove, glad that the shift was all but silent.

"Is there a problem here?" Donovan Hock asked as he stepped down the stairs. _Wonder what'd happen if I just snapped his neck here and now...nah, blowing up a gunship will be more fun._

_...Which I'll have to do without a grenade launcher or arc projector or any other heavy weapon._

_And there's no Normandy to send a shuttle for extraction._

_And my shuttle can't be called remotely._

_...well, this already has the potential to seriously go wrong._

"Possibly. The scan isn't picking anything up on his present."

He turned to face me, slightly suspicious look in his eye. "I don't believe we've met."

"Webb. David Webb." I extended a hand, though I knew he wouldn't take it.

I was right, he just looked at it for a moment before turning back to the guard. "Did he bring anyone with him?"

"Just him."  
"Hmm...I don't think he'd have come all the way from Illum to cause trouble."

"Not with the cost of travel being what it is in this day and age." I quipped, glad I'd convinced Kasumi to stay out of sight. Judging by the very faint sigh that came from somewhere to my right, she felt the same.

He let a hint of a smile cross his lips. "True enough." He turned and went back inside, with me following him.

Not wanting to follow him the whole way, I stopped to grab a drink from one of the waiters walking around, also glancing around to look for guards. I counted five as I slowly made my way to the balcony, away from anyone else.

"I know this is your first heist, but vaults are generally more...inside." Kasumi whispered from next to me as she uncloaked.

"Is there a time crunch here?" I responded, tossing back the drink. "Time spent thinking clearly isn't time wasted." I looked down and saw three guards. A board or something led from the walkway they were on up to a set of glass panels that led to a hallway, but I was less interested in Hock's room at that moment then the guards. "I have an idea. Can you get down there while cloaked and get into position to take out the far guard?"

"Yeah...I take it that means you'll get the other two?"

"I don't have knives, but I have other ways to take them out silently. Gunshots would draw attention...but then, so might a man getting tossed off the balcony by his angry girlfriend."

"Huh?"

"Just get down and in position. It'll make sense in a moment."

She shrugged and cloaked. I heard her landing a moment later, though the guards didn't so much as turn, and listened for her faint footsteps as she moved behind the farthest guard.

I took a breath, then turned around so my back was to them. _Hope I remember how to do this._

I threw myself off the balcony into the open space, slapping the ground as I landed to absorb most of the impact and keep my head from hitting, trusting my cybernetics to reduce any other injury.

I immediately had two guards standing over me, weapons pointed at me. "What the hell are you doing down here?"

I pretended my head was ringing as I slowly stood up, clutching my head. It helped that I wasn't completely acting.

"I said, what're you doing down here?" The first one demanded again, hitting me in the chest with his weapon.

"Ease up a little, will you?" The other one said, holding out his hand to help me up. "He obviously isn't here for a fight."

"Yeah- wish my girlfriend got that memo." I faux groaned as he helped me up. "One little discreet massage from the consort, and she tosses me off the balcony and tries to _break my neck_." I put slight emphasis on the last three words, and I could sorta sense Kasumi getting ready.

"Well, let's get you back upstairs. Maybe get you a guard to make sure that she doesn't just shoot you this time."

I smiled thankfully, still grasping his hand. My other hand shot forward, fist striking him directly in the throat, breaking the cartilage and rendering him unable to scream for help, even as Kasumi appeared behind the far guard and took him down with a omni-tool powered strike to the back of the head.

The third was caught off guard- enough I was able to strike him in the chest to drive the air out of his lungs so he couldn't call for help either then rip the gun from his hand and use it as a club on the first guy's head, splitting the skull open and making sure he was down for good.

I grabbed the survivor by the throat and held him out over a long fall.

"What the hell?" He sputtered, barely able to breath past my grip on his throat.

"You try calling for help, I will let you fall to your death. Answer my questions, and you might live." I said, no emotion in my voice.

"Alright alright! He's not paying me enough to deal with this kinda crap!"

"Wise decision. We need into his vault. What sort of security does he have for it?"

"I don't know!"

I looked at Kasumi and rolled my eyes. I used my biotics to lighten him slightly, then tossed him in the air, grabbing him by the ankles as he fell again, dangling upside over the edge.

"Okay okay! Fricken psycho! The only way down I know of is an elevator near the back of the elevator! Voice activated password lock coded to him, and a DNA scanner! And a kinetic barrier!"

"You know where the power to the barrier is, or what the password is?"  
"He changes the password every party, I don't know what it is! The power cell is hidden behind a bookshelf near the-"

"Where would we find the password?"

"There's a security office not far from his room! His room is right through that hallway over there!"

I digested the info for a moment, before deciding he'd told us enough to go on. "Nighty night then." I kicked him in the side of the head, and he was out cold as I dropped him on the walkway. "He said the bedroom was over there- good place to find DNA for the scanner. Then I can chat up Hock for the voice sample after we find the password in the security room. And then a quick detour to cut the power and…" I snapped my fingers. Then I snapped them again to create a small warp field on the glass nearby. It slowly turned to dust, leaving a path open.

"I thought you said this was your first time?"

"I'm a quick study." I replied, teleporting to the hallway. "You coming or not?"  
"Right behind you." She said, jumping through the window as the door slid open.

"Kinda ironic. Guy spends that much on security and then doesn't lock his own bedroom door." I commented, looking around. It looked more or less like the one from the game.

"Look for anything we can get usable DNA from. Make it quick and quiet."

"That I can do." I said, already moving towards the swords on the far end of the room. "Should be some skin flakes in the dust over here. Cleaners wouldn't touch these."

She shot me a surprised but impressed look as she scanned them with her omni-tool. "Good call. Still, if we can find more, we should. This isn't enough- it's contaminated"

"Right." I moved for the table next, but it was clear of anything, and the bed looked freshly made, so it wasn't an option either. I combed the room for any signs of usable DNA, but found nothing. _Come on reality warping, help me out here._

"Aha! Jackpot." I turned to the sound of Kasumi's voice as she exited the bathroom. "Looks like he cut himself shaving this morning, nobody had a chance to clean it yet. Blood might be a bit diluted, but with the skin flakes it should be enough to fool the scanner."

"Should isn't-" I stopped myself short. _Odds are the blood was already good luck and or reality warping, so it ought to continue and let it be enough. _"I'll just trust you to know what you're doing." I said, with a hint of reluctance in my voice.

"I am the best in the business." She said with a hint of smugness.

"In that case, you can get out of here on your own." I chuckled, spinning on my heels and teleporting to the balcony I'd started on, making my way inside to talk to Hock.

* * *

Kasumi approached the biotic slowly, silently, her cloak still on, but he still looked up as she approached, standing up from the floor with biotics still flaring around his somehow gloved hand. "What took you so long?"  
"Some of us can't teleport." She said with a hint of envy in her voice as she deactivated the cloak.

"Excuses excuses." He chuckled as he brought up his omni-tool, sending a couple files to her. "I managed to get Hock Ranting- should have enough of a voice print from that- and the password is Bartholdi. Guy that designed The Statue of Liberty, ain't it?"  
"I think so." She said as she used the voice recording to replicate it. "Did you take care of the barrier?"

"Managed to disrupt the power cable with a singularity, get the metal and insulation tangled up real good. And the floor's totally intact, so they'll have no idea how it was done." He gestured to the spot he'd been kneeling. "Alright, so now what?"  
"You get your armor back on just in case, we go down to the vault, and then we borrow a shuttle or airship to get out."

"Yeah…" He looked at the statue of Saren, eyes almost seeming to take on a red tint as he glared at it. "In retrospect, maybe we should've just gone down with me as is, then I could stick it down my shirt or something."

"What, you don't think he'd scan people on the way out too?"

"Huh. Okay, yeah, didn't think of that." He gestured to the elevator. "Well, time to work your magic."

She kept her omni-tool active as she approached the DNA scanner, blood sample turning the light green. A quick play of the password voice file opened the other half of the lock, and she stepped into the elevator to kill the camera.

She turned around to tell Bourne the job was done, only to stop short as she saw him putting on his visor, the rest of his armor and weapons already assembled.

He caught her look. "What, are you not ready yet?" He teased, handing her her pistol and SMG.

"I'm not used to having someone else do all the work." She answered as he followed her into the elevator. "Maybe it threw me off my game a little."

"Good thing I'm here to pick up the slack then." He said lightly as he checked his guns. "Ideally, he won't know we're here. Realistically, he'll have guards or some other security down there." He cracked his neck, a slight smile of anticipation on his face as the doors opened.

They both stepped out, and she took a moment to look around. "Hock has good taste in art, I'll give him that. You know what to look for?" She turned to where he'd been, only to see he'd disappeared. "Neural implant, looks kinda like a box with a tube sticking out of each side?" He called from the other side of the room, holding a gun in each hand. "Also, are these what I think they are?"

"That looks like a Kassa Locust." She said as she walked over to him.

"Yeah, either good replicas or they've been modified since I see a spot for thermal clips. Have to unmodify that when I get the chance." He handed her one and stored the other on his belt as he tossed his original SMG to the side.

"Just how many guns do you need?" She said with a chuckle.

"At the moment...five." He gestured to the table he'd gotten the guns from, but she was looking behind him. "How did Hock get Lady Liberty's head?"

"Huh?" He turned around, and shrugged. "I dunno, might not be the real head. Always looks bigger than that in vids and stuff."

"They did that on purpose."  
"If you say so. Anyway, this look like what you need?"

She looked back at the table, and it was like she'd been kicked in the stomach, even as her eyes threatened to be filled with tears. "It is." She grabbed it, holding it gingerly.

"Alright, let's get out of here before Hock's any the wise-" He cut himself off as Hock's face appeared on a large screen above them. " Yeah, should've known better than to say that out loud." He sighed.

"Mr. Webb. I suspected there was something off about you."  
"What tipped you off?" He asked, voice holding a trace of genuine curiosity.

He ignored the question. "I don't know what she's paying you, but I can double it if you take her down here and now." He said. "I want what's in her greybox-"

Bourne's left hand shot up and a moment later the nearby vase shattered as a beam of energy exploded from his palm. "In case you somehow misinterpreted that- the answer is no."

Hock just stared at him in silent rage.

"That shut him up." Kasumi said with a chuckle.

"Kill. Them." The doors at the far end of the room slid open, revealing a dozen armed mercs.

Bourne threw his arms up as the mercs opened fire, and a large domed barrier surrounded them both. "So much for getting out quietly."

"From what I hear, you'll have more fun doing this anyway."

He smirked. "I will neither confirm nor deny that. Cloak and get ready to move. I'll keep them distracted, you pick them off when their backs are turned."

"Got it." She raised her omni-tool.

"Oh, hold on a second." He looked at her, and tapped a button on his visor. "There- that should let me keep track of you so I don't hit you by accident." He turned back to the mercs, and raised his hands, changing the barrier so it was a straight wall in front of them. "Go dark and move, I'm about to drop this thing."

She'd barely activated her cloak before the barrier dropped and he launched forward like a rocket, striking the apparent leader square on hard enough to send her flying back, and slamming a fist into the ground, an explosion radiating out from where he hit. It stunned them, and his knives took two of them down before he teleported, appearing next to where she'd bunkered down.

"He's over there!"

"Way to give away-" He held a finger to his lips to cut off her whispered protest and teleported as the merc got close.

"Damnit, he moved!"

The same beam that'd destroyed the vase struck one in the chest, and she followed it up the ceiling, where he was clinging upside down with his magboots.

The merc directly in front of her also turned to look, and she took the chance to take him down with a strike to the back.

If the others saw, they didn't get a chance to react as Bourne dropped from the ceiling, twisting as he fell and teleporting behind one of them, snapping his spine with a well placed strike to the back of the neck and then disappearing before the others could even turn.

_Glad I'm not doing this solo. _She thought.

"Damnit, what are we fighting, Ghosts?" One of the mercs shouted.

"The term is Spectre, actually." Bourne replied as he stood up from behind another statue, firing another blast from his palm. The explosion took out two that were standing nearby- but Bourne suddenly went flying backwards, slamming into a statue of a Rachni Queen, totally exposed.

The mercs popped fresh heat sinks in, and raised their guns. She hastily tossed a flashbang in the center of them, and it went off as they fired, causing them to barely miss Bourne as he slid behind cover.

"Thanks." He called the wrong way- making the mercs turn their fire away from her, and giving her the chance to overload the leader's shields. Bourne was quick to stand up, and raised his hand, causing a biotic aura to appear around the leader, damaging the the armor.

It didn't look quite like a warp field though, and it'd appeared instantly. Then again, she'd never seen any other biotics use that beam thing, and teleporting had only been a rumor, so she wasn't that surprised.

When he threw his hand back like he was pitching a baseball and tossed out a giant orb that caused the largest explosion yet, on the other hand, she was caught off guard.

He stood up completely, gun in hand as he moved towards the smoke, firing twice before lowering his gun. The smoke cleared to reveal not a single survivor.

"Maybe you should lead with that next time." She suggested, decloaking and moving towards the door at the far side of the room.

He wiped a bit of sweat off his forehead, and a light suddenly seemed to appear behind the visor. "Tossing a Flare usually kills my biotics for at least half a minute. Have to be careful with it."

"And flying back with that beam thing?"

"It's a prototype." He said defensively. "If it's set too high the kickback is enough to...well, you saw. Still kinda working the bugs out." He rubbed the back of his head where he'd hit. "Cybernetics or not, I'll be feeling that later. Thanks for the flashbang by the way. Didn't even get tagged."

"You're the one who put up the barrier and stopped us from getting turned into swiss cheese."

He shrugged, pulling what looked like a STG Scorpion off his belt. "Maybe, but we're not out of the woods yet. We need to figure out where he keeps his ships...Your skill does extend to stealing those, right?"

"It extends to borrowing them."

He chuckled. "Good enough for me then." The doors opened, and he shot forward into the first merc that appeared, then fired his gun to stick a mine to his helmet and tossed him towards what she guessed was a second enemy.

"We have any sorta layout for this place?" He asked as he darted back to the elevator, taking cover next to the door.

"Not for this level." She responded, tossing out a flashbang blindly. "You could try asking the mercs, but I doubt they'd cooperate."

"Yeah, I know that was sarcastic...but it's worth a shot." He leaned out, and what almost looked like a biotic rope shot from his hand, yanking the nearest merc into the room with them. "We need to know where the hanger is." He said, holding his gun to her temple. "Answer, you live. Refuse, you die, and I keep fishing until one of you wises up."

"I don't know where it is! He just hired my group for this party- he changes every time!"

"Kinda paranoid, isn't he." He commented to Kasumi, leaning out again and tossing a singularity into a group of them, then a warp field a moment later to detonate it.

"Please-" Her words were cut off as he struck her on the side of the head, knocking her out cold and dropping her to the ground.

"If she didn't know, I doubt they will." He looked at the thief, thoughts impossible to tell. "If we keep going down here, we don't know the layout and could get trapped. I'm pretty sure I hear a heavy mech moving somewhere too, and I'd rather avoid dealing with that if we can."

"You have another idea?"

"Maybe. The guests' shuttles are still parked in front of the house, aren't they?"

"A few of them should be- but he's got gunships that could shoot them down."

"Yeah, but they'd have to get somewhat close to do that. Close enough I could probably teleport us in so we can take them over ourselves." He shrugged. "If nothing else, we'd have the element of surprise on our side."

"Unless they see the elevator moving back up."

"Who said anything about the elevator?" He replied, grabbing her by the shoulder, and teleporting before she could protest.

They'd barely reappeared, before they were teleporting again, and then again a third time. She held a hand to her head as she reappeared, and he let go, apparently done.. "That is never going to be something I enjoy."

"Guess having genemods and cybernetics help the transition process." He responded, looking around. "And apparently a perfect memory to keep track of how far we moved helped too."

It took her a moment to realize they were now in Hock's bedroom again.

"Alright, if I did the math correctly- and my visor confirms I did- then a teleport that way would put us in front of the mansion, and we could grab an aircar from there."

He paused for just a moment. "But since it's pretty obvious you don't like the teleporting, and that took a lot out of me anyway so I dunno if I could pull the same trick again, we should go upstairs out the door and go from there. You go cloaked, I'll go fast and shielded, and we ought to be able to get through without too much difficulty and grab a car before they know what even happened."

Alarm bells were suddenly going off outside.

"Or not."

"Well, we need to do something." She said, popping a fresh heat sink into her pistol.

"Alright, I say we still go through the house. It'll be closer range, and that's what I'm best at." He pulled his shotgun off his back as if to emphasize his point. "Watch my back, and stay close." He said as he ran through the door.

She was hard put to keep up with him as he kicked the door open biotically, immediately taking down the two guards on either side of it with shots to the head.

She cloaked as he moved, and took down a guard he didn't see with a shot to the head.

It only took a minute to get outside and in front, but she immediately regretted the decision as a gunship hovered overhead, dropping a heavy mech to the ground as well.

"Have it your way then Miss Goto." Hock's voice came from the gunship as the mech raised its arm, rockets ready. Several small round devices suddenly flew from behind Kasumi down the barrel of it, and the arm exploded.

A moment later, several matching grenades appeared on its head, and that exploded as well, taking down the entire mech.

"Damn, can't wait to see what I can do with the upgraded version of this thing." Bourne commented, venting his scorpion and throwing up a barrier around them as Hock opened fire with the gunship's machine guns.

The moment they stopped to vent, he dropped the barrier and aimed several mines at the engine before throwing the barrier back up. "Motherfucking- so much for that plan!"

"What's wrong?" She asked, getting ready to move if the barrier looked ready to fall.

"Looks like shields on that thing are too strong for the mines; they shorted as they passed through." He looked around the area. "There's cover over there- and the good news is this time I don't have to teleport you...just carry you."

He moved faster than she could react, carrying her bridal style and charging to the cover, setting her down next to him. "And here I thought you'd have a hard time sweeping me off my feet with a face like that." She quipped.

"You're the one hiding yours with the hood. I figured you had some big birthmark you didn't want people to see."

She opened her mouth to reply, but stopped short as machine gun fire flew over their heads.

"My biotics could tear the armor apart, but the shields are a different story." He said, tossing a knife in the air and holding it biotically like a mirror for a brief moment, before letting it drop as the fire started up again.

"Well, those look like pretty powerful guns on your back. It'd take a while, but if you aimed for the right spots you could take it down."

"Hah! I'm a good shot, but not while I'm under fire from something like this thing. And we need to take it down sooner than later so he doesn't call for backup." He looked like he was thinking. "Feel free to smack me for asking this as long as you answer it- about how much do you weigh?"

"If you're offering to buy me a dress as payback for the tux, we can talk about it after the mission. I'm about 160 pounds in the armor."

"I can work with that." He looked up at the gunship for a moment as it stopped firing, ducking down in time to avoid a rocket. "Think you could take down the shields if you got closer?"

"They'd be down for the count if I could get close enough. How does that-"

"Just the answer I was hoping for." He said as the fire started up again. "Get ready then."

"For what?"

"I'm going to throw you onto the ship with my biotics."

She stared at him.

"What? I'll catch you afterwards... probably."

"You're enjoying all of this, aren't you?"  
He grinned. "You did promise it'd be interesting. I think this qualifies...Would you feel any better, if I launched _myself _at the ship too?"

"Not really."

"Meh, it'll still look the coolest, so that's what I'm doing."

The machine gun fire stopped, and he stood up with biotics flaring around him, and she suddenly felt weightless. A moment later, she was flying through the air, stopping just above the cockpit, falling just slightly slower than normal, letting her get her bearings and hold on as he tried to shake her. She quickly brought up her omni-tool, manipulating it one handed, and unleashing an overload point blank at the shield generators, frying them.

She saw Hock's jaw drop through the cockpit, and mock saluted him before jumping off, flipping in the air and landing softly on her feet as Bourne lowered her mass with his biotics "Alright, your turn."  
He smiled as he stood up, flicking his wrists as biotic energy flared around him. She thought she was seeing things as it collected into his palms and formed a twin set of energy lashes, but the way he swung them and knocked a rocket out of the air was undeniably real.

He was gone a moment later, a blur that she turned in time to see reappear and drop onto the ship, his lashes wrapping around each engine as he used his magboots to cling to the top of it. He clenched his fists, and the ropes of energy slowly tightened as well, crushing the engines holding the gunship in the air, and a moment later they failed altogether and it began to fall.

The lashes disappeared as he jumped clear, teleporting and landing next to her as the vehicle fell to the ground.

He turned around and started walking towards the aircar, casually tossing a biotic attack over his shoulder. It caused the same huge explosion as before, and she knew without looking the shuttle would be totally destroyed.

"And that is called being awesome." He said as he walked over to an aircar, bringing up his omni-tool. "Now, let's see if I remember how to-" The aircar's alarm immediately started going off, and she rushed over with her own omni-tool active, disabling the alarm and also unlocking the doors.

"...I probably should've just stopped with the walking away from the explosion thing, huh."

"You think?"

He shook his head and got in the passenger seat as she started the engine. "Well, maybe you could give me some pointers."

"Well, maybe a few of them. Have to keep a few secrets for myself to stay the best." She smiled and held up his pistol, making him look down at his side in shock before looking back to the gun.

"Not that you'd be the best anyway." She commented with a chuckle as he snatched it away from her, looking over it almost obsessively.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's just get back to my ship so you can look over that thing, and I can get my armor off. Works fine to wear it over normal clothes, but with this damn monkey suit it's pulling in all the wrong places."

She got the car in the air silently, before turning to look at him. "Thank you. If you knew what this really meant to me-"

"I do." He turned to look at her. "Word of advice though- that thing has all his memories, along with the sensitive info of some sort, right?"

"I'll be careful with it. Nobody will even know I exist."

"I wasn't really worried about the info...One of the genemods I have gives me a perfect memory- like a drell's if not better. I'm betting that device recorded the memories pretty well too. So if you plan to use it to spend time with him, or...whatever the term is...be careful. Memory is a powerful thing."

She was silent for several minutes, focusing on driving, and making sure they weren't being followed back to the port.

"You think I should destroy it?"

"I would bet a hundred credits Kajie would have told you to, for your own protection. I'm not going to say that you should, not if you think you can handle it. But if you spend too much time with that thing and are unable to pull yourself away...you could end up stuck in the past and unable to function in the present."

She shifted in her seat. "So what now?"

"First, probably some sleep. After that...Well, it's a big cerberus facility we're going to. I'm sure there are plenty of places for you to practice your technique, and maybe show me a thing or two."  
"I think this mission might be fun after all."

"It just might be."

* * *

**T117: Yeah, again, nothing much to say.**

**)That's just cause you're throwing this up between ME3 matches and don't want to spend a lot of time on an A/N.(**

**T117: Oh shut up. Anyway, until Monday: Sayonara.**


	9. Batarian Beatdown

**One Year, Eleven Months after the destruction of the Normandy.**

Miranda shifted uncomfortably in her seat, hating the 'actual' armor Bourne had insisted she and Jacob wear for this mission. At least he had a good reason, considering that they were about to land on an asteroid without any atmosphere.

"So, you didn't give us many details for this." Jacob said, leaning forward in his seat. "Now might be a good time."

Bourne nodded. His helmet showed that his face was expressionless- Miranda was still somewhat annoyed that he'd taken it from the inferno armor prototype that'd been sent to the station- but his voice was barely contained rage. "I got a priority call from Admiral Hacket about an hour ago- which is when I told you two to suit up. An unknown group of assailants has hijacked this asteroid, and strapped fusion torches to it, which are currently guiding it to the planet nearby- Terra Nova." His gaze seemed to shift down, as if he was thinking.

"How'd he find you though?" Miranda asked.

"If you're worried about the location of one of your bases being compromised, it isn't. He messaged me via my Spectre ID- and that encrypts location details; I have to approve the transmission for them to even be able to talk to me. I left it with the Alliance for situations like this." He shrugged and continued talking. "We've got almost no info to go off of, so our best bet is to head for the nearest base. Maybe interrogate one of the hostiles- or there might be a survivor."

"I hope you realize how risky this venture is- bringing us along or going yourself." Miranda pointed out. "If this goes wrong-"

"We're going up against the Reapers- or at least their agents- the second Shepard's back up. If you're worried about things going wrong you're in the wrong profession." He started checking his guns, seeing that they were getting close. "Beyond that, there are three other very good reasons I brought you along."

"Which are?" She almost demanded.

"First off, this thing's moving fast. Estimates are about eight hours to impact- and the course can't be corrected after six. I'm good enough to be made a Spectre, but even I want backup on something like this. One screwup and a couple million people are dead. Second point- I've fought with you briefly Lawson, but I haven't fought with him." He gestured to Jacob. "Or both of you at once, really. If there are any problems working as a team, I want to know now and not later. Third- that's a _human _colony down there. Ain't protecting humanity what you terrorist bastards are all about?"

"I think you're a little-"

He cut Jacob off. "If I'm wrong about Cerberus, now's the time to prove it. Or I'm right, in which case stay here and I'll handle this myself."

"Alright." Miranda grudgingly accepted. "I assume you want to take command?"  
"There's no _want _about it. Cerberus tapped me for a reason. If you're only going to second guess me, don't bother coming with." The sudden sensation of falling indicated that they'd arrived, and Bourne took several deep breaths as they fell, before finally landing. He clicked the side of his helmet, and a dark purple band appeared in the faceplate of his helmet- the same tech as his visor. He moved up to the driver's seat as Jacob took the guns. "It's also a good time to test out this hammerhead thing you guys put together...though from what I've seen of it so far, I may end up saying words I never thought I would."

"Which words are those?" Jacob asked as they got moving.

"'I liked the Mako better than this.'"

**Bourne:**

_Yeah, I think I did. At least the Mako could take some punishment. If Tali'd opened the doors on me back on Therum and we'd had this, I'd be as dead as Saren is right now._

I yanked the controls to the right, and we barely avoided a rocket from the canons guarding the base. _At least I watched a playthrough of this mission once, since I never bought the DLC. Wasn't expecting to do this anytime soon...especially now._

_I mean, with the reality warping and crap I guess it makes sense since it's like the last possible time I could do it, but...I'm here instead of Shepard. Just feels...odd somehow. Guess it's not as important as some of the stuff, but still..._

"I think that's all of them, Bourne." Jacob said from behind me. "Should be clear to move in."

"Alright. But keep an eye out for if you missed a turret." The one nice thing about the vehicle was that it was faster than the Mako could ever hope to be.

I popped the hatch, the shields keeping the atmosphere in, and was first one out, assassin ready in one hand, left hand free to use the dreadshot or a lash if I needed them.

"You think this could be the Geth?" Jacob asked as we moved in.

"Perhaps." Miranda answered.

But as I popped open the door to the main part of the facility, I knew the answer long before I saw them.

"Batarians." I growled as they readied weapons. If I hadn't had my helmet on still, I'd have spit.

"Take them alive if you can." The leader said. "They look like they'd fetch a hefty price- strong and fit."

For a moment, I had no idea what the hell they were talking about. Then it hit me, as the memory of knocking a gun from a girl's hand as I injected her with a sedative flashed before my eyes. The next thing I knew, I was standing in front of the leader, glowing with biotic energy, my hand clean through his chest. I could feel his spine in my hand, and I ripped most of it out with a single motion.

"Anyone else want to try taking us as slaves?" I asked sardonically, tossing the bits of spine on the ground and teleporting back to where the other two were. "You have two choices. Surrender, or-" They opened fire and I ducked behind cover as their rounds bounced off my shields. "Guess they choose die then."

"How do you want to play this?" Jacob asked, popping up to fire a shot before hastily ducking down again.

_Singularity plus one of Miranda's warp would take most of them down...but they're too well bunched up in front- they'd mow us down the second we stood up. Plus, I have to worry about these two running out of thermal clips...but I bet they're not ready for an attack from behind._

"Keep their attention here so I can sneak around and soften them up." I teleported before they could reply, ending up behind a crate, and peering around it. One of them had glanced my way at the sound, but he went down from a shot from Miranda before he could tell the others.

I raised my assassin, before thinking better of it and storing it on my hip. I grabbed my scorpion instead, and took a deep breath. I opened fire, sticking a mine to the back of each head. Most of them had a chance to grab back there as they felt it hit before it went off. Their helmets kept them from dying instantly, but it stunned them, letting the other two move up and take them down with a few well placed shots, while I handled the last one with a blast from the dreadshot.

My radar showed one more upstairs, and I teleported up behind him, shoving him over the edge and grabbing him by the ankle before he could fall all the way. He made a weak attempt to raise his gun before I speared it with a knife, using my biotics to add to the force and rip it from his hands.

"All hostiles neutralized." Miranda commented, storing her gun.

"Looks like. Controls for the fusion torch are back there- think you can get it powered off?"

"Shouldn't be a problem." She replied, moving to the stairs.

I looked down at the survivor. "How many more of you are there?"  
"You'll get nothing from me!" He spat.

"I will get the information-" I drew the knife from my right shoulder, holding it not far from his face as I lifted him up higher. "Or will get your eyes as trophies."

I saw said eyes widen as he realized it was no idle threat, and he gulped. "What do you want to know?"

"Your plan is to ram this thing into the planet, that much is obvious. There are two more torches, right?"

"Yeah- and a command center at the far end of the asteroid. I don't know how many of us there are- maybe fifty? I don't think there's anything else that would help you."  
"Nothing else you want to say?"

He thought desperately for a moment. "No- I don't know anything else helpful."

I studied his face. "I believe you." I rammed the blade through his throat, and he twitched once before going still. I yanked out the blade and let the body drop.

"Alright, this torch is down." Miranda said over the comms.

"Roger that. Meet you at the entrance." I teleported down.

And immediately put up a barrier as the human standing at the door turned my way and fired a shot that would've hit me square in the chest if not for said barrier.

"Oh god." He took a step back as he realized I was human. "I'm sorry! I thought you were-"

I yanked the gun out of his hand biotically. "Most basic rule of gun safety- always know _exactly _what your target is before you pull the trigger."

Miranda and Jacob rushed in at the sound of the gunshot, weapons ready.

I motioned for them to stand down, and tossed the guy his gun back. "You're not a soldier by trade, are you."

"No- I'm chief engineer on this rock. Simon- Simon Attwell."

"Jason Bourne." I responded. "Spectre."

"A Spectre?" He asked, surprised. "I didn't think any of you were human."

"Only a select group." I said dryly. "What's the situation here- batarian extremists want to run this rock into the planet, right? Which'd cause total global extinction?"

"That pretty much sums it up. There's two more torches to shut down- one of them is surrounded by live blasting caps. Your vehicle out there would set them off if you used it, so you'll have to move in on foot past them. There's a console in the center you can use to shut them off."

"Glad I can teleport then."

He gave me a confused look.

"Figure of speech." I lied.

"There's one other thing- I had a crew working offsite when the attack happened-"

"Then they're probably dead." Miranda interrupted bluntly. "That, or they've been taken as hostages by the batarians."

"I'd believe that. But still…"

I shook my head. "I hate agreeing with her, but we need to focus on the torches anyway."

"Right, four million are more important than three people." He admitted.

"You should make yourself scarce. Judging by what I've seen of your combat prowess, you don't want to be anywhere near these batarians."

"Yeah, good idea."

**Line Break**

"Alright- mines are disabled. Bring the Hammerhead in." I said, stepping away from the console, and over the body of a batarian. _Teleporting. Thought it was awesome to have in multiplayer- real life is even better. _

"Roger that." Jacob responded, and I could see the thing moving in.

"Alright, I'll meet you inside."

"Didn't you say the point of this was to get a sense of how we'd work as a team?" Miranda pointed out.

I digested that for a minute. "Point taken. I'll wait out here then." I leaned against the wall, frowning beneath the helmet. I knew how to work alone, sure, but I was more used to working as a team with others. _So why do I have the desire to just do this solo- maybe even wreck the tank so they won't follow? It's the same feeling as the sudden rage at the slaver back there...almost like the council was with my Spectre status- made sense at the time then regretted it later...Reality warping?_

_I never did this mission in the real world though since I didn't have the DLC, so there's no basis for it...screw it, I'll chalk it up to just nerves about being closer to actually starting the 'main game'...though that doesn't explain the weird same sorta feeling that I'm going to get my ass kicked in at the third torch. _I shrugged and readied my assault rifle as the other two got out of the tank and followed me in.

The batarians opened fire from the catwalk, but a quick biotic wall in front of us gave us cover to move behind some nearby crates. "Alright, Jacob, pull them into the air. Miranda, you and I will warp them once they're affected- blow them to hell. We already have info, so no need to keep any alive this time."

A rocket suddenly impacted just behind us, barely missing.

"And the rocket drones?" Miranda asked calmly.

I grabbed my assassin with my free hand, then stood up and fired six times, making the gun overheat before ducking back down. "What rocket drones?" I chuckled, spinning the gun around on my finger before storing it again.

She rolled her eyes, but stood up to warp a batarian Jacob pulled towards us.

I didn't know if she could actually use pull- it was one of the most basic biotic moves, but she'd never used it in game- so I tossed a pull field from each hand as well, then followed it up with a throw orb from each, sending them into oblivion as well.

Jacob stood up and reached for the three remaining, but they barely stumbled, and he ducked back down with a curse as they opened fire. "Those three must have heavy armor."

"We can warp through them, but it'll take a while, and it'll give them a chance to get in a lucky hit." Miranda said.

"Agreed." I rubbed my chin- or at least the bottom of my helmet, since I hadn't bothered to take it off. _Might be close enough for me to hit them all with a flare and take them out, but if they aren't, I'm weakening myself for about half a minute and leaving it to them._

_Could pop and hit them with Dark Channel, then Miranda and I can just detonate them one after the other and maybe Jacob pulls them if they're still alive...but that's boring._

"Time for a new strategy." I vaulted over the crate we were hiding behind, and aimed the dreadshot at the ground, setting it to fifty percent power as I jumped and fired it.

The kickback knocked me into the air, and I made my best guess as I spun and fired it again, tucking my legs in close.

I flew backwards in the air, and slammed into the center batarian, propelling us both past the other two, and into the wall. Though he hit harder than I did, since he wasn't lucky enough to have a four-eyed cushion. The other two spun around as I activated the whips, throwing my arms forward and wrapping them around their heads, before pulling back, and thrusting my hands forward as I killed the power.

They both flew straight into my punches, and were knocked onto the ground.

I just backhanded the first guy as he weakly tried to get back up and get me from behind. I heard the sound of my fist connecting, and he slumped to the ground. I stuck a scorpion mine to the faceplate of each one and moved towards the back room where the fusion torch controls were housed as the explosions went off.

I looked at them, and briefly debated waiting for Miranda before opening my omni-tool myself. It took me a few tries, but I managed to figure out how to shut them down just as they came cautiously into the room.

"You know, a heads up that you were alive would have been nice." Jacob commented as he stored his pistol.

"Were the batarians still firing at you?"

"No. But they could've been expecting us to think you were dead and lying in wait." Miranda pointed out.

"So you think three batarians could take me out at close range when I have the advantages of being an incredibly strong biotic, in addition to having cybernetics and genemods designed to make me stronger than any normal human, along with advanced hand to hand combat training, a couple dozen knives, the lashes I stole from you, armor that's been upgraded multiple times, and _two _guns that make things explode?" I chuckled as I turned around. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

They exchanged a look as I walked past them.

"Or, you guys could simply have checked your radars." I said, glancing at them over my shoulder. _One thing this helmet doesn't have is peripheral vision...maybe I should put a camera in the back, hook up a display in the front. Wouldn't hurt to have that on the visor too...I have all sorts of tech I want to finish. And I only have another 42 days to do it._

"Come on, we still have one last torch to deal with."

**Line Break**

"And another one bites the dust." I said, pulling my knives free of the last batarian's chest and flicking them to get the blood off before storing them on the belts across my chest. "Miranda, get the torch."

"Did you bring us just for tech duties and driving?" Jacob commented.

"I was expecting heavier opposition than this. And we likely will find it at the main compound."

"Yes, you will." I spun around, gun in each hand, seeing a batarian with his arms behind his back, flanked by a dozen more. Each of them had heavier armor than what I'd seen on the others, and the weapons looked better quality too- though none were pointed at us.

I motioned for the others to stay back but be ready as I stepped forward. "You didn't just shoot us when our backs were turned. Either your training and strategies are idiotic, or your plan is to attempt negotiation."  
"I'm trying to get my men out of here without further bloodshed." He tilted his head to the left- a sign of respect. "You could kill all of us if you wanted to, judging by what happened at the other bases."

"What do you mean _if _I want to kill you? The only reason you're not already dead is that I might get some amusement out of this little conversation."

That simple matter-of-fact declaration caused some of them to shift nervously- the one in front included. Charn, I thought he'd been called.

"Hey, I'm just doing my job here." He said, somewhat defensively. "I signed on to make a little profit, a quick slave grab, nothing more."

I felt an eye twitch, a fist clench. "Nothing more?" I took a step closer, ignoring the raised weapons this caused. "You think a slave grab is just a day at work?"  
"Just because you humans are too weak to-" I didn't give the speaker a chance to finish before I threw a knife into his eye, then grabbed Charn by the throat and lifted him into the air left handed.

"My best friend lost her entire family from one of your 'quick slave grabs'. I've seen the horrors you batarians are capable of inflicting." The others raised their guns, but I sent knives into the weapons biotically without even looking, thanks to the perfect memory. Some of them tried to run, only to be stopped by the wall of energy I created behind them.  
"What about what you humans have done to us?" He wheezed past my grip. "You drove us out, made the council take your side with bribes."

For a brief moment, I was tempted to spare his life. I didn't know why. Maybe it was the fact that batarian culture was so warped, he really saw nothing wrong with slavery. Maybe it was that the alliance's prisons would be worse than what I could do. Maybe I was just tired of killing so many people.

It passed as images of Raptor's eyes and Talitha's tears filled my vision.

"Maybe your government will figure out how to actually compromise or negotiate in the future." My biotics flared around me. "But _you'll _never get that chance."

I fired the dreadshot point blank, separating his head as cleanly as if it'd been cut by a guillotine.

I threw a pair of singularities into the others, and didn't bother waiting for Miranda. I charged into one to set it off, then immediately turned to the other and slammed my fist into the ground to create a nova to detonate it as well. There was so much blood, the explosions themselves looked red. A moment later, I looked down at the biotics still on my arm, and felt a chill go through me as I saw they _were _red.

They faded back to blue so quickly I wondered if I'd imagined it.

"I can see why Shepard had the reputation for being the better negotiator." Jacob deadpanned as he knelt next to Charn's headless corpse. "This looks like a key card- must be for the main facility."

"If it's not, I can teleport in and open it from the inside." I responded, standing back up. "Come on, we should get moving."

**Line Break**

In game, there should've been a fight before Balak showed himself. Instead, he was waiting at the top of the stairs for us, troops backing him up- I did a quick count and came up with 40, even as Miranda muttered the same.

"You humans. You're nothing but trouble, are you."

"Most humans are trouble." I corrected. "I'm simply your death." I raised the dreadshot, aiming at his head.

There was no way he knew what it was, but he obviously could tell I was ready to do something. "I wouldn't if I were you." He gestured to the far end of the room, and I took my eyes off of him long enough to see several engineers held hostage- I thought I saw seven of them through the window, along with a bomb that would most certainly kill them all if set off.

I turned back to him.

"That bomb is connected to a heart monitor I'm wearing. If I die, they die."

"Wrong. If _they _die- you die." I looked at the batarians. "That goes for all of you. Let the hostages go, and I merely will call the alliance to take you into custody. Or you can kill them, in which case every one of you will be slaughtered, with your eyes ripped out as a bonus."

"You're bluffing." Balak said confidently.

"No, I'm not." I shrugged my assault rifle over my shoulder and into my arms. "Dead or alive, you're coming with me." ..._Huh. I thought it'd be more fun if I ever got to actually say that._

He hesitated, and I saw his gun start to go up slightly. I suddenly felt...something, radiate outward. It was like the shockwave from the explosion, and I was ground zero. I couldn't feel it through the air- I seemed to feel it through reality itself. The only effect it seemed to have was that he let his hand drop. "Stand down." He told his men, tossing his gun down the stairs.

One of them raised his gun, and I yanked it from his hand with one of my lashes, before swinging it back and knocking him out with his own gun.

The rest hastily dropped their guns, but I still pulled them out of reach just in case.

"Now what?" Miranda whispered. "If you call the alliance, we'll have to stay here until they arrive to make sure they don't escape."

"I plan on giving them only _batarian _terrorists." I responded. "_For today at least. _The armor you're wearing lacks cerberus markings, and the hammerhead hasn't had them added yet. As long as you have the brains to keep quiet, they won't even care about you." I rolled my eyes. "I had you wear all that for a reason. It's also why I have been doing the heavy lifting- you two are unused to suits like that." The first part was true- the second part was a justification I'd only now come up with.

_Wonder if Shepard is even going to be able to keep up with me on the battlefield any more...yeah, knowing her she'll get a headshot right as I go to take someone down, and steal the kill._

I looked at my hand as I started gathering the batarians into one place and sent Miranda and Jacob to unlock the door the hostages were trapped behind.

Specifically, I looked at the hand that Hero had cut open to free me over two years before. It seemed like a lifetime ago- technically it had been.

_She's dead. So is Iron...so why were my biotics red?...I need to have Hephaestus check me out next time I get the chance. It's probably just a side effect from the new implants for the gloves- they could've combined with the damaged components from Iron or Hero's sets, or maybe just the leftover eezo…_

_But why do I get the feeling that the fight against the Collectors isn't the only storm headed my way?_

* * *

**T117: So, I decided after having "Bring down the Sky" in UiaWoF that I wanted it in this fic; couldn't exactly go back and put it in SiaWoF at this point.**

**)So you basically put it in right before the second game, blamed the reality warping, and said 'fuck it, good enough?(**

**T117: ...Eh, pretty much.**

**)*shrugs.* Could've been worse.(**

**T117:...Okay, yeah, I'm not as good as carrying on a conversation style A/N solo. So, I'll just remind everyone that next chapter is a question-answering-chapter and leave it at that.**

**)Uh, Solo? What am I, chopped liver?(**

**T117: Don't make me get into that and shatter the fourth wall further.**

**)I'm just saying- between me and CTHI you have three people you can have talk during this thing. If you can't have us keep a conversation going, how are you supposed to do it in-story?(**

My guess is he will rip off a lot of what is already there.

**T117: Okay, I'll admit I did that fairly often in SiaWoF, but I tried to be better about that in SaWoF...and UiaWoF things went off the rails completely for a lot of conversations.**

The conversation with Simon Attwell was somewhat-

**T117: In cases like that I think it's justified since Bourne needs to pretend to get info but already knows it so he has to fake it. That, or he's the one regurgitating info just to troll people/prove he knows their secrets already.**

You can say whatever helps you sleep at night.

**T117: Like, 'I know what to unplug to turn CTHI off if she gets on my nerves?'**

...you are fortunate I cannot log you off.

**)Wouldn't that just make him ****_more _****likely to unplug you?(**

Perhaps, but in that case it would at least be worth it.

**T117: Uh huh. Anyway, leave questions for next chapter in a review and I'll be sure to answer them.**

**)By the way, you guys are awesome, seeing as how we're already at a hundred faves and a hundred-and-fifty follows for this story, and we're not even ten chapters in...granted, some of that is from the fact that this is a sequel, but still, you guys rock.(**

Agreed.

**T117: What they said. Sayonara.**


	10. Shepard's Return

I tossed back the last of the bottle, and looked at it ruefully as I set it by the other three. _Wonder if I could work out some sorta inhibitor device that'd negate my super alcohol immunity when I wore it? _I mused.

"Hard to believe it's been two years." Jacob said from across the table- though the bottle in front of him was only half empty, and he was cradling a glass in his hands, apparently waiting a bit before consuming more.

"At least the Lazarus techs are starting to feel more optimistic about this thing." I said, trying to decide whether not to to crack open another bottle, or just polish off the one in front of Jacob. "I haven't seen her since before X-57, but she was starting to look more like a person instead of a hunk of beef...please never tell her I made that comparison."

"My lips are sealed." He said, leaning back in his chair. "So, you heard about what just pulled into the station yesterday?"

"You mean the Normandy SR2, or the shuttle containing its pilot?" I asked. "Cause I've known about both for... hmm, three and a half months, give or take."

"Nothing gets by you, does it?" He said, seeming impressed, but also slightly worried.

"Nor will any of the scanning devices they'll no doubt plant all over the ship. I intend to remove all of them from the areas I'll frequent- or repurpose them." I shrugged. "They're spying on us, only fair I return the favor." I leaned forward, gesturing to the bottle. He nodded, and I took it, not bothering with glasses.

"You don't think Cerberus is that bad still, do you?"

"You heard about what happened with the Quarians?"

"Not the details, no. Why, did you?"

_Not through my bugs, but yes. _"I'll give you the abbreviated version: one of TIM's operatives has been raising an autistic biotic child since not long after birth. She was put into The Alliance Ascension program, and Cerberus has been using her to test and experiment on biotic potential...though admittedly it's better than _some _of their efforts in that field." I grimaced as I thought of Praggia.  
I'd begun to have nightmares after Balak was defeated. Not just nightmares- memories that faded again as soon as my eyes opened. Of the time before Eden Prime, when I'd been in the Reapers clutches. I didn't know what'd knocked them loose, I just hoped the rest of my amnesia stayed where it was. But it hit close to home.

"Anyway, the operative started having second thoughts, and ended up on the flotilla, looking for refuge along with the kid and some allies. So Cerberus teams were sent into retrieve them, and...things got messy."

"Sounds extreme, but-" He stopped. "Are you sure the information is accurate?"

"I'm sure."

He was quiet for a few moments. "I wonder if I know Cerberus as well as I think."

"One thing I like about you Taylor- you don't see all this with the same rose tinted sunglasses others do." I weighed the risks a moment before continuing. "I can't prove it- not so much as a whisper across any channel I can crack into- but I'd bet money that The Illusive Man has kept a lot from you, and managed to keep more from me, and only showed us what he wanted us to. Cast the organization in a better light. Kept the people we could sympathize with." I rubbed my chin. "Joker is a no brainer- putting one person I trust around me makes it more likely I'll trust others. Same with Chakwas. Engineers are former alliance, don't really know about Cerberus beyond the current mission, and Chambers is a sweet girl, but completely naive."

_Not that she will be once the Collectors get a hold on her. _The thought was in Iron's voice, and I had to stop my fist from clenching around the bottle I was holding and shattering it.

"Miranda trusts them. And her trust is hard to earn."

"So I have noticed." I set the bottle down on the table. "Come to think of it though...wonder if _she's _meant to make me lower my guard a bit. We're both genetically engineered, and were created so for a purpose... With her other qualifications, may've just been a bonus, but I wouldn't put it past Timmy to have put her on the team cause she 'gets me' or whatever."

"You know...that is a lot easier to say than The Illusive Man."

I shrugged.

"I don't know, it might be."

My comm beeped before I could reply, and I hit the earpiece. "Yeah?"

"I need you to come by my office when you have a chance." Miranda's voice came over.

"Lawson, you realize I can teleport, right? It's not like it's ever going to be that out of the way for me." I closed the comm, looking at Jacob. "Sounds like she's got some other errand for me to run."

"Alright. You still up for playing Poker tonight with Wilson and some of the other guys?"

"Aren't you down…" I thought for a moment. "6,127 credits?" I chuckled.

"..."

"Perfect memory. Makes it pretty easy to keep track of stuff like that."

"I could've sworn it was less than that." He muttered.

"Yeah, I'll probably be there. Unless she's sending me off station." I stood up, teleporting as I did so, and ending up outside her office.

I knocked, and a moment later the access hologram went green, and the door opened as I stepped in.

"We have good news, and bad news." Miranda said. "The good news is that Shepard's almost fully recovered."

"How can she be _almost _fully recovered? I mean, most of the time you're either dead, or you're not...I can't decide how that applies here, but still."

"She woke up during a procedure yesterday."

It took me a moment to process that. "What?" I finally asked, unable to form any other coherent words.

"The dosage of the sedative was too low- Wilson's estimates were off. Or so it appears."

I placed the scene a moment later. "So what does that mean as far as progress goes?"

"Her facial scars aren't healed completely, but the majority of her implants and reconstruction is complete. The only other upgrades are more for the sake of survivability than anything- a heavy skin weave, bone weave, and muscle weave."

"And brain activity?"

"As far as we can tell, it's normal...We'll have to wait until she's awake completely to tell, but I'm optimistic."

"Okay, then what's the bad news?"  
She leaned forward across her desk. "I think Wilson is a traitor- or a mole at the very least."

_Yeah, old news to me. _"You think he got the estimates wrong on purpose? To try to sabotage the project and kill her?"

"It doesn't seem like him to make a mistake like that."

I considered my options for a moment. "I'll look into it- but it'll have to be done slowly so he doesn't suspect I'm onto him if he is a traitor." I finally said.

"I'm looking into it myself."

"...So why tell me then?"

"To warn you. If he's making attempts on Shepard, he may also try something against you."

I allowed my surprise to show on my face for just long enough for her to see it before putting it back to normal. "Why? Seems like you'd want me out of the way."

"Are you complaining?"

"...I suppose not." I said, figuring that she wouldn't tell me why if I asked. _Not that I'd be likely to understand it, thanks to that damn Y chromosome. _"Thanks for the heads up." I teleported back to my room with that, and starting packing my armor and guns to be sent to the Normandy.

Raptor was going to be up in just under two weeks. That meant the station would be destroyed, and I didn't want to lose my gear in the process. _Good news is I can teleport, so when it hits, it doesn't quite matter where I am._

_Well, today's the beginning of the final countdown. I'll just stick to Jacob like glue on day 12 and I should end up in a spot to meet Shepard and get out of here._

* * *

_Two years, eleven days. _I thought as I got out of the shower, rubbing the last of the black dye out of my hair before wrapping a towel around myself. _Everything starts tomorrow._

I glanced at myself in the mirror. There were bags under my eyes from a lack of sleep. I didn't need to sleep as often as most, but lately I hadn't been able to sleep. Nerves, a bit of fear, excitement at seeing my friend again, the fear of more of those horrible nightmares...I had no idea if it was one of them or all of them.

I glanced at the time- it was about eleven at night by citadel reckoning, which was what the station used.

_I need to get some sleep before too long...but I'm not going to be able to until she's back up tomorrow._

I tossed on my jeans and boots, though I left the jacket off, just putting on a grey t-shirt and crossing my legs as I sat down on the floor. I closed my eyes, and started taking slow deep breaths.

A moment later, I was in the void. Meditating like this wasn't as restful as sleeping- I remembered reading an old study that said it took two hours worth to equal one hour of sleeping- but it'd hold me over until I was in a better state of mind for real sleep.

_(Unless you're already sleeping.)_

I sighed in irritation as I turned, seeing Iron sitting on a couch and eating potato chips as he watched something on TV. The rest of the room was hazy and blurry- not that I'd expected much else.

_)I think I'd have preferred that nightmare with the plasma cutters slicing me up to upgrade my cybernetics.( _I commented, sitting down as a chair appeared under me.

_(Ah, you do care about me.) _He dropped the potato chips and they disappeared in mid air. _ (Come up with an explanation for why you still run into me in here every once in a while?)_

_)Maybe my subconscious is a masochist.( _

_(That why your biotics were red back on X-57?)_

I rolled my eyes.

_(Stands to reason though- you created me, so some part of me has to exist as part of your brain. Same with Hero.)_

_)You know...I'd think my subconscious would have more imagination than this. I mean, if my conscious mind can come up with the Dreadshot, the Mosquito, the Visor….okay, so it's not great with names, but the concepts are kinda creative. Yet it seems like half the time all I ever dream about is one or the other of you two.(_

_(You didn't settle down to dream, you wanted to meditate.)_

_)Obviously, I was more tired than I thought.(_

_(What does Les Schwab have to do with anything?)_

I looked at him, and slowly pinched the bridge of my nose.

_(Oh come on, not even a giggle?)_

My answer was to look above him. He looked up too- just in time to see the anvil fall onto his leg and snap it in half._ )Strong evidence this is a lucid dream.(_

_(You're an asshole.) _He gingerly adjusted his leg, and it snapped back to normal.

_)Hmm...I wonder what else I could do in here then.( _A lever appeared next to the chair, and I pulled it. The couch- and by extension Iron- fell into the now open trap door under them.

I moved the lever back to seal him in, chuckling.

_*You know that's a temporary solution at best.* _Hero said disapprovingly as she appeared out nowhere in front of me.

_)With that idiot, I'll take what I can get.(_

She shook her head, a small smile on her lips.

_)So, what are you here for then? Cause if this is a lucid dream, no offense, but I can think of plenty of people I'd rather see.(_

_*Dreams aren't always so different from reality. Not in your case anyway...what happened after you woke up with the new scars for instance.*_

_)Did the real you talk in riddles this much?(_

_*I'm just telling you to not worry about it just yet. For now, focus on the mechs that are trying to break down your door.*_

_)Yeah, I'll get right on-...wait, what?(_

She disappeared, and the void shattered as my eyes opened, sight, sound and smell all flooding my brain at once as I leapt to my feet.

Smoke was in the air and I could hear the distant sounds of gunfire. As well as closer gunfire, aimed right at my door.

_What the hell? It's been two years _eleven _days! It's past midnight, but why would Jacob call that as a day?_

_...He lost track or miscounted the days, didn't he. Argh! This makes it beyond tempting to make him the tech specialist at the collector base!_

* * *

"Wake up commander!"

Raptor stirred slightly, but it took a second repetition of the voice for her to open her eyes. She sat up groggily, putting a hand to her forehead. "What the hell happened?"

The last thing she remembered was tossing Bourne towards the airlock as the Normandy was attacked. She frowned. _No, that's not the last thing...the last thing was...my helmet losing pressure...what the hell happened then?_

She suddenly realized her cheeks were stinging slightly, and she glanced at a nearby window for her reflection. It made her tune out the women on the intercom completely as she walked over, eyes widening.

Her eyes were the only part of her that looked unchanged- purple, glowing slightly from cybernetics. Her chin was more rounded than before- not by much, but just enough to be noticeable. Her hair was a slightly darker shade of brown than before, and it hung just past her ears instead of to her shoulders. Her skin lacked her former tan, making her look pale, as if she hadn't seen the sun for months.

And the most noticeable part was that the scars above her eye, and on her chin were gone. Instead, a pattern of scars covered her face, glowingly slightly. They showed what looked like cybernetic implants.

"Raptor! What the hell are you waiting for?!"

That got her attention, and she raised her hand to her earpiece. "Jason?"

"Yeah...It's…me!" He sounded like he was fighting, and she heard an explosion from his end a moment later. "I'm guessing you have a lot of questions, but they're going to have to wait. For now, just focus on staying alive- I'll meet up with you...Damnit, you people just _had _to buy the Ymir Mechs too didn't you?!" He cut the comm after that, apparently to deal with whatever had just shown up.

"There should be a pistol and some armor in the locker on the far side of the room." The other voice guided.

She saw it, and cracked it open, glad it was unlocked. The armor looked like a replica of her old N7 armor, and as she pulled it on, she could tell it was more advanced despite its appearance. She examined the pistol as she decollapsed it. Not the most advanced or powerful, but it would do...once she found a thermal clip for it.

"Lawson, you should get moving." Bourne's voice came back. "Looks like every damn mech on the station has been set to kill anything that moves- and I would place money on them moving in on your position."

"Can you teleport to either of us and get us to the rondevu point?"

"I already tried- along with the mechs, some sorta distortion field is active. I tried teleporting two feet and ended up on the other side of the facility...though I guess it means I can just avoid that big mech now. Thing was a lot tougher than I expected."

"What's your position then?" Raptor asked as she took down a pair of mechs with headshots before they could fire off a single shot. She stopped long enough to pick up their thermal clips, and tuck one of their SMGs onto her free hip. She wasn't a fan of the weapon type, but she didn't have the luxury of being picky just then.

"Hang on a second…Finally some good luck. The shuttle bay is just on the other side of this wall. I should be able to blast through it and backtrack to your position."  
"Wouldn't it make more sense to just wait at the shuttle bay?"

"Not quite. I kept my visor- _which I __still_ _have yet to name- _on hand, and it shows a lot of hostiles on the other side. I can blow by them with a charge before they react, but no way I can deal with them all on my own."

"Alright, get moving. I'll meet you there." The women said obviously stepping away from the comm.

"Roger that." Raptor and Bourne said at once.

* * *

"We're low on Thermal Clips, but I'm a biotic. Let me know when you're ready for me to-" He cut off as a biotic orb flew over their heads, and caused an explosion that not only destroyed the mechs, but also the bridge underneath them.

Both of them turned to look the way it'd come. Slowly, Bourne walked into the light, deactivating the visor in front of his glowing eyes. "Even after all this time, I'm still having to pull your ass out of the fire, huh Raptor?"

She shook her head as she stood up. "All this time? How long was I out?" She looked around. "And where are we anyway? This doesn't look like an Alliance Facility?"

"...Jacob didn't tell you already?"

"I figured we needed to deal with the mechs first. And you said you'd explain anyway."

He looked back the way he'd come. "I cleared out all the mechs I saw- and I assume you did the same behind you…" I sighed and sat down on a nearby bench. "We can take five so I can explain, I guess."  
She sat down across from him. "By the way, what's with the outfit?"

"Alliance blues didn't match my eyes. And the jacket's armored pretty heavily." He shook his head. "It's probably just as well you're sitting down...and since there's no way to say this gently, I'm just going to go for the blunt method. When you hit me towards the pod, and you drifted off...you died."

"...I died."

"Yeah."

"...As in, dead. As in heart stopped, brain activity ceased, I was a corpse."

"...Yeah, guess it sounds less believable when you put it like that." He shrugged. It's been two years, _eleven _days since the Normandy was blown apart. You were KOed or worse for all of that. Most of that time was spent plugging you full of cybernetics and cloned tissue so you'd be up and about again. Tried to get you looking as much like did as possible, but it's a tough medium to use."

She studied his face. "Either your poker face is even better than I thought-"

He let said poker face drop as he stood up. "Damnit Raptor, I'm serious! You wanted to know what happened, I told you." He turned around, crossing his arms.

Her omni-tool activated a moment later, and she looked down at the video he'd sent her. It slowly began to play, and she felt her knees wobbling. It _was _a good thing she was sitting down. "That's...my...fune...my funer…"

"You want to see some news vids too? Or the images of your grave on the Citadel?" He asked. His voice was composed, but there was the faintest hint that it was ready to break.

"...What happened to the rest of the crew of the Normandy?"

His shoulders dropped. "Haven't seen Garrus or Wrex, since they left before the ship blew up. No clue about Liara or Tali either- the latter went back to the fleet, and last I heard your girlfriend was an info broker on Illum now."

She put her head in her hands. "So...she thinks I'm-"

"She knows you're alive now. Or at least she knew about the project, if not the completion date." He turned back around, clicking the visor back on. "Pressly and 19 others were killed, but everyone else made it out. Chakwas and Joker are going to be on the crew of our new ship, but we should get out of here before we talk much more."

"What about Ashley?" She asked as she stood up, somehow able to do so without trembling.

His face slowly snapped back to its emotionless mode. "She and I...are pretty much done at this point. Impossible for me to have kept in contact with her without making it obvious _why _I was keeping in contact with her...I asked Anderson about her a few months back. Her assignment is classified heavily." He shrugged, forcing a smile that was only half successful "Guess it means she's gone up in the world at least."

"We should get moving." Jacob said cautiously, sensing the mood.

"One last question. If this isn't an Alliance Facility…?"

He took a step back, apparently unconsciously. "You're _not _going to like the answer. So I need you to promise me you'll hear me out before you make any judgements or do something we'll both regret."

She gave him a questioning look, but nodded.

He sighed. "Project Lazarus, the new ship and crew...is funded and controlled...by Cerberus."

For a handful of moments, she didn't think she'd heard him right. Then she saw the way Jacob had backed away too, and she felt something at the back of her skull as she lunged and threw a punch her fellow Spectre barely dodged. When she looked up at him, his face was filled with concern. She swung again, and this time he grabbed the arm as it went past him. "Will you please stop that and just hear me out?"

"...Fine." She almost growled, pushing him away. He grabbed his arm where she'd made contact, wincing.

"Great, before she practically had superhuman punching ability, now she literally has it cause of the cybernetics." He muttered to himself. "I know I deserve a beating- probably several, but can you at least wait till you know your own strength?"

"You're telling me, after everything you know about Cerberus, you went to them for-"

"_They_ came to _me_. And it wasn't a decision I made lightly." He started pacing in front of her. "And if there'd been any other option, I'd have taken it. But the fact is Raptor, I'm not you. The Council and Alliance only listened to me or gave a damn about me because of you. The latter tried to stick me in a training camp out of the public eye, and neither one of them believe in the Reapers a lick more than I believe in Santa Claus." He stopped pacing and turned to look at them. "They're a bunch of terrorist scumbags- no offense Jacob- and I fully expect them to betray us at some point. But for now, they're the lesser of two evils. Human colonies have been disappearing, and I've tapped enough transmissions to believe that the Reapers or their agents are responsible. Cerberus's info agrees- both what they've shared with me, and what they've left where I could hack into it."

She felt her hand clench into a fist. "I want to see this proof for myself."

"Figured you would. But first, we need to get to the escape shuttles. They're back the way I-"

"Check, check, is anyone on this frequency?" The voice was familiar, but she couldn't quite place it.

"This is Bourne. Shepard and Jacob just took out a squad of mechs over in D wing, and we've met up to head towards the shuttle bays. What's your position?"

"All three of you are still alive?"

"Disappointed Wilson?" He asked lightly, though there was a hint of menace in his eyes.

"Forget it. You need to get her out of there- head for the-"

"I've got the layout of this place _memorized_, don't bother with instructions. What's your position?"

"I'm in the network control room."

"On the way. Avoid getting killed till we get there." He lowered his hand from his ear as he activated the visor again. "I'll take point."

"I'm the one with actual armor." Shepard pointed out.

"This stuff is tougher than it looks, and I've got biotics for a barrier. Just watch my back." He reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked like an SMG of some sort. "And if you change your mind about thermal clips, all my guns are modified for the old system."

"How many do you have on you?"

"Four."

"..."

"Yeah, I know it's not as many as I should have. The rest are stored at the other station with my armor. It itches to have more than this stored at a time anyway."

She shook her head and motioned for him to continue.

* * *

It took effort to not scowl as we made our way to Wilson's position. I'd wanted to put a bullet in his head on the way to Shepard and blame it on the mechs, but he hadn't been there yet when I'd gone through.

"Did you do that?" Raptor asked as we stepped over a destroyed Ymir mech.

"Some of us don't need a rocket launcher." I quipped. _Just a gun that shoots small but powerful mines. And a Phase Disruptor, plus a biotic Flare to finish it off._

"Oh god, they found me! Help!"

I rolled my eyes behind the visor.

"Server Room B! Hurry, they're out of control!"

_Guy sucks at acting. _I thought as I sprinted up the stairs towards him, the other two on my heels. I kept my gun raised as I entered the room, though there were obviously no mechs present.

"Down here."

"Really? Thanks for telling me, cause you know, I _totally just went blind_." I said as sarcastically as possible, collapsing the Locust and shoving it into my jacket.

Raptor shot me an annoyed look- what else was new- and looked down at Wilson. "You were there when I woke up the first time."  
"Yeah, that was me. How about we talk about this after we fix my leg?"

"No, no, I think this is important." I said, holding my arm out to block Raptor and Jacob from the medigel. "Cause from what I heard, the reason she woke up and nearly kicked the bucket a second time was cause you screwed up with math."

"What, like you've never made a mistake?" He said through grit teeth.

"And the noticeable lack of security mechs makes me further inclined to not trust you. Or did they just decide to leave you alone for some reason?"

"They explode when they're destroyed!"

"And yet there's no debris in sight. Also, can you explain to me why every Loki Mech on the station was armed with an SMG, yet your leg took a single bullet? From an angle that looks almost like you inflicted it yourself?"

"Are you nuts?" Jacob asked.

"Jury's out- I keep leaving the psych evals early when I get bored." I looked back at Wilson. "So far, you've guided us into a room crawling with mechs- despite the fact I took down fifty or so in this wing , which was far more than there should've been- after having potentially killed Shepard once already, and now you're found in circumstances easily engineered, in such a way that you'd seem innocent."

Raptor gave me a skeptical look. "It could be possible, but are you sure you're not just jumping to conclusions?"

"I'm sure. But if you'd like more proof-" I walked over to the monitors, bringing up my omni-tool. "I'm not as good as Tali was, but…" I waved the device over the screens , and the hacking programs Kasumi and Hephaestus had provided did their job. A few quick taps on the keyboards brought up the security tapes, and both of them walked over to look.

Wilson was holding a gun to his leg, clearly trying to pysch himself up to fire. I didn't bother watching him take the shot, I turned around ready to hit him with the Dreadshot- and instantly was dropped to my knees as he hit me with an overload, aiming his gun at my head with his other hand.

A split second later, he was glowing blue as he went flying against the far wall hard enough to snap his neck. I clenched my teeth as I got up- the electricity had only stunned me, but that didn't mean it hadn't stung like hell._. _"Guess I shouldn't have been dumb enough to turn my back on him." I commented, looking at Jacob. "Thanks for the sav-... what is going on behind my back that has you staring like that?"

I turned, but what my eyes were seeing didn't match up with what my brain could process for a good ninety seconds.

During that time, we all stared wordlessly at Raptor's hand.

...Raptor's _glowing blue _hand.

* * *

**)Hoboy, I can't wait to see the reviews for ****_this _****one.(**

**T117: I really wish I could've landed this on a Friday just to make the cliffhanger more… wait, does that count as a cliffhanger?**

**)Eh, not really a 'oh crap, now what's going to happen' type cliffhanger like you usually do, but it's still a '...wait, what just happened?' cliffhanger.(**

**(Of course it still means you're kinda a dick for using it, just slightly less of one.)**

**)Damnit, you invited them again?(**

**T117: Yep.**

**(So, does that mean we…'woke up at the same time as Raptor?')**

***I take it we're just moving on to questions then.***

**T117: Yeah, but come on guys- you have to know I'm not going to answer questions that're related to the plot like that. **

***Doesn't having us both there-***

**T117: Yeah, when am I that predictable?**

You ended a chapter on a cliffhanger- that is not exactly new for you.

**T117:...That's not being predictable as a writer, that's having a writing style...I dunno, could kinda be either.**

**)Okay, next question: Most tedious game you've ever played?(**

**T117: Hmm...I'm going to have to say two, because I can't decide between them: The first Assassin's Creed game, and parts of Mass Effect 3. Having to do all the stuff on the Citadel, like Aria's mercs, tracking down batarian codes and helping that Salarian Spectre whose name I don't feel like trying to spell.**

***You could just look it up.***

**T117: Yeah, or I could just say it's the one with Kasumi, in which case everyone will know what I'm talking about and make my point regardless.**

**(...Is that really all the questions already?)**

**T117: Honestly, now that I think about it I dunno how many people are actually going to read this chapter.**

**)Why?(**

**T117: Uh, because Destiny just came out and its fucking amazing?**

**(Yeah, and as the negative part of you...yeah, I can't really say anything bad about other than that it's sorta annoying that you can't pause mid-mission.)**

#firstworldproblems.

**)...Is it just us though, or does the Warlock seriously remind people of biotics?(**

**T117: It was my first thought, and I think Spike agreed with me, so odds are plenty of people saw that.**

**(Yeah, except Warlocks can do the **HIGH FIVE OF DEATH!**)**

**T117: Or the punch of death for Titans, or just….stab, for the hunters...I think we're done here then.**

**(Okay now if you can just not log me out for once, maybe we can...huh, what do you know, she actually didn't log me out…okay, normally she would have by now, so I just know she's about to...really? Nothing? Am I going to not be logged off for once?...okay, now you're just going to wait until I'm not expecting it, aren't you?)**

**)I'm outta here(**

***I should go.***

**(...Later Su**Crazey Metal has been logged off by host.

**T117: Man, that never gets old. Sayonara.**


	11. The Idiotic- I mean The Illusive Man

"...What. The. _Fuck_." I finally broke the silence. "Did she just" I looked at Jacob. "Did _you _know about this?! Cause I didn't know about this! How the hell did Miranda manage to keep _this _from _me_?! I mean- just…How!?"

"_Bourne_, let me give you fair warning." Raptor said as she looked back up, voice full of menace. "If this proof doesn't satisfy me, not only am I taking out every Cerberus agent I see, I'm knocking your ass out and dragging you back to The Alliance in chains."

"...No offense, but since the last guy that threatened me was a few _kilometers _taller than you, I think you'll have to work at the threats a little bit more to actually frighten me."

She lowered her hand to her hip, grabbing her gun again. "I'm serious."

I pulled out my scorpion, figuring that I'd need it for any other Ymir mechs; Loki mechs I could take down just with my biotics anyway. "One day- 24 hours. That's all I'm asking."'

"It's all you're getting."

I forced my pokerface back into place as I turned to the exit. _Now's hardly the best time to talk to her about this...and even if there's time later, how the heck _do _I talk her into this?_

_Wait, why am I worried? I mean...reality warping._

_Except that… her entire motivations might be changed or altered cause of me. If she only would've joined with them because she had no choice...she doesn't have a choice here either though. The only difference is that I'm vouching for them. Sorta._

_No, no, I know my friend. Unless Cerberus changed something major beyond the biotics, there's nothing that would stop her from fighting the Reapers once she sees this evidence of the Collectors._

_Huh. Iron and Hero are dead, yet I'm still talking to myself in my mind….maybe I oughta stop walking out during the psych evals._

The doors suddenly burst open, revealing half a dozen mechs. I tossed a Flare at them underhandedly, wincing slightly at the sudden drop of energy as they were utterly destroyed.

"That's new." Raptor commented, still annoyed, but obviously impressed despite herself.

"Actually, figured it out the same time I figured out the teleporting." I couldn't keep a prideful grin off my face. "Along with a few other tricks I dreamed up over the past 2 years."

"In that case, you're taking point."

"Yeah, there's a shock." I quipped, holding my gun at the ready. It took about two minutes to get to the shuttle bay- and my biotics only came back online as we got to the door that I knew Miranda would be behind. _That's not good. Either I put way more energy into that than usual, or I'm more tired than I thought._

_Not too terribly bad though- as long as I don't strain myself, stick to the more basic but effective biotic attacks, I should be able to get through at least Freedom's Progress, if not a recruitment after._

_And at least I already cleared out the mechs so we didn't have to deal with those. Not that it'd be a problem to deal with them. Shepard or I could easily hit a head at this range, let alone shoot a leg off so they blow sky high._

Miranda half raised her gun as the doors opened, then lowered it as she saw it was just the three of us. "What happened to-"

"Wilson's dead. Got pretty solid evidence he was a traitor by hacking into security." I cut her off. "He tried to shoot me, and Raptor threw him into a wall and broke his neck. Biotically_._" I had the odd feeling my eyes were glowing red as I said that; something about the way the light looked. But with the visor, there was no indication from Miranda either way.

"You of all people should be able to see the benefits of having biotics."  
"Like what, having to eat for seven people at one sitting?" Raptor said, gun still in hand and clearly trying to decide whether or not to shoot her.

"We realized very late in the procedure that we could add eezo nodes artificially- and far more safely and reliably than most natural biotics occur. Luckily we'd been able to get readings from Bourne when we augmented him."

"You mean kidnapped him?"

"Geez, is this how you always felt watching me and the Council?" I commented, still glaring at the Cerberus operative. "And is there a reason you didn't tell me about this?...and seriously, **how **the hell did you keep this a secret from me with me poking around at literally every transmission you guys sent out?"

She ignored me. "Do you know how common it is for the Alliance to offer soldiers both biotic training, and weapons training? Most are offered only the former if they have them, with weapons a secondary consideration."

"So you decided to give her abilities she has no idea how to use? How exactly is that an upgrade?...no offense."

"You said she was able to snap Wilson's neck biotically?"

"So? Most teens with biotics could do that-"

"After months of training. It isn't as though we put them in her without any idea how to use them. We began 'teaching' her via the same process we used to restore her memories."

"But if my face still looks like this, I'm guessing you didn't have a chance to finish the process." Raptor said. I noticed she'd stored the gun, but then again she hardly needed it to do some damage if she wanted to...Even more so now that she had the cybernetics and eezo nodes.

"No. And it could only impart very basic training anyway. We were hoping that Bourne would be able to help you learn the more advanced techniques. But The Illusive Man might have other plans for you now."

"In order- you think _Bourne _can teach me? Two-"

"Yeah, I kinda gotta go with her on this one." I said with a frown. "I'm one of the best, _nobody _can dispute that, but that's because I was trained almost literally since I started walking and talking. At this point, trying to teach her anything would be like trying to teach her how to breathe. But with more chance of me getting broken bones and/or blowing up."

"Secondly, who's The Illusive Man?"

"Timmy's Cerberus's head honcho, the guy who poured all that cash into bringing you back. I told him he could've just used that money to buy me a ship and crew , but no, he insisted on you." I teased, ducking as she swung a punch in my direction.

"Alright- let's go then. Before I change my mind."

* * *

"The Illusive Man is waiting for the two of you in the next room."

I gave Miranda a skeptical look. "He wants to talk to me too?"

"No, but we all know you'd be in there regardless of what he wanted."

"Alright, first, I want to talk to her in private for a moment." I said, looking at Raptor. Her face still had an edge, but she nodded.

"You can talk after-"

"I wasn't asking." I cut her off, grabbing Raptor by the shoulder and ducking slightly. A moment later, we were in the quarters I'd been given.

"Man, that is a really weird feeling." She said, rubbing the back of her neck.

I brought up my omni-tool and ran several scans to make sure the room was clean- there was nothing, which was odd since they usually put at least one in there for if I slipped up. Then I thought about it for a moment and ran the beam over Raptor's armor. "Clever, but not clever enough." I said as she looked at her glove. "Let me see that a minute and I'll get rid of the bug."

She detached that part and handed it to me. I had the bug out and crushed in under thirty seconds, and handed it back to her reassembled in another 20.

"So, you want to talk to me in private. Some reason for going along with this whole thing?"

I deactivated the visor so I could look her in the eye- as long as I could bear anyway. "No. I doubt there's anything I could say that'd change your mind. I'm leaving that up to The Illusive Man, maybe Miranda and Jacob. They're not saints- especially the first two- but they're a hell of a lot better than the Reapers. I'm hoping you can see that too. But that's not why I wanted to talk to you." I forced myself to meet her gaze, though the tradeoff was the pokerface disappeared. "I'm sorry."  
"...Sorry for what?"

I wanted to start pacing, but forced myself to stand still and look at her. "Raptor, it's my goddamn fault you died! If you hadn't been busy getting back up and saving my ass, you and Joker would've been fine in that escape pod instead of... Hell, I passed up the chance for a lifepod on the lower deck with Ashley cause I wanted to make sure you were off. If I'd just trusted you to do what you needed to do…" I sat down on the bed hard enough to make it creak. "Or I could've tossed you into the pod and got spaced myself. Doubt you'da screwed up as much as I did."

"...Do you know how many times you've saved my ass in all the time we've known each other?"

"It was twenty-six last I tried counting...What's your point?"

"You know something I've learned in all this time I've been in the military? Sometimes it's not about skill, experience, or even equipment. Sometimes it all comes down to luck. I reacted a split second faster than you did, and so I saved you before you could save me. And now I'm back." She glanced at a mirror. "Mostly." She walked over, and I saw her hand going to where the scar on her chin had been. It was completely smooth now. "And damn these things itch." She said, rubbing at the lazarus scars.

"Well, those should heal before long with your sort of mindset- something about mood or stress linking to rejection. Or if not, it should be possible to heal them sooner with the proper medbay equipment...There's also the risk that they'll get worse and make you look uglier than me if you go all pessimistic and triggerhappy, but I wouldn't worry about that in your case."  
"Neither would I." She smiled slightly. "It's not possible to be uglier than you." The smile faded. "Besides the biotics, what else is changed about me?"

"The looks are a little off, like you probably already noticed. They were good, but not miracle workers. Scars are gone too, besides just from your face- though in our line of work I'm sure you'll have more soon enough."

"...I'm not sure that really makes me feel better."

"As for the internal stuff...a lot of it is cloned tissue, but there's also a lot that's original, upgraded and/or held together with cybernetics. Muscles are denser, bones are held together by metal and a lot tougher as a result...I think they got at least a basic skin weave in too, so you'll heal from wounds faster, though I don't know how much tougher it'll make the skin itself without upgrades." I shrugged. "As for the mind…" I tapped my right upper arm. "Whose weapon inflicted the scar here, and who has a matching one?"

"...Tali, to both. For the same reason I was knocked out on Noveria and you had to come after me. Not to mention that entire fiasco with Saren."

"I did check the place for bugs you know... but I guess caution still ain't a bad idea. I didn't mention a word of that to the techs, so either the brain somehow healed itself, or the memories came back somehow...or hell, maybe you were floating round as a ghost till a few hours ago."

"At this point, I'd believe that." She leaned against the wall. "And how are you holding up after all this?"

"Feel like I oughta be asking you that."

"Ask me tomorrow when all this has had time to set in. So how are you?"

"Well, you're not trying to chomp on my brains like I half expected the zombie you to do, so…I don't know, honestly. It feels like the last two years were nothing but preparing for you to come back. I knew about it before Miranda contacted me- got quite the network now." _Not that I needed it to find out about her. _"But at the same time...I don't know. Maybe I'll feel better once we know more about what we're up against. I've got suspicions, but nothing provable yet."

"Alright, let's go talk to this guy."  
"First I want to get my actual armor on and some real weapons." I said, pulling the case I'd stored them in out from under my bed, and placing my palm on the scanner I'd whipped together. It read the palmprint, and also scanned for the tech from the dreadshot and lashes before it beeped and allowed access. "And I also saved this to give to you."

She examined it a moment before putting it on. "Never was a fan of helmets." She said, looking around through it.

It wasn't exactly a Kuwashii Visor anymore- I'd overhauled the VI and HUD systems, along with making the display the same shade of purple as her eyes- but it looked the same otherwise and actually matched the rest of her armor pretty well. _Speaking of which- _"If you want, we could change the paint job on your armor real quick before we go talk to the boss."

"I think I'll stick with...actually, let me take a look at the system real quick."

"There's an armor locker/customizer over in the closet." I said, triggering my gloves as I pulled the jacket off and stored it in the case to bring with me- I had another one, in a lighter shade of grey, but I liked the black a little more. "Go do that while I get this stuff on." _Not that it'll take me more than fifty seconds to get the armor on, but the weapons might be more complicat-_

"Alright, ready when you are."

I turned around and saw that her formerly black armor was now blue, with the same red stripe on the arm, and white detailing. "Yeah, that'll blend in real well." I said sarcastically. _Then again, Hero's armor was completely purple, and Iron's was bloodred, so… _"Looks good on you though."

"Still sticking with grey huh?" She noted as I finished putting mine on.

"Hey, don't fix what isn't broken." I attached the last of my knives and stored my guns. "Let's go." I said as I triggered the visor again to make sure it was working before turning it back off. "Don't want to keep him waiting _too _long or he'll dock our pay."

* * *

If Miranda cared about their new armor, she didn't show it as Bourne teleported them back to where they'd left from, and lead the way down the stairs. Either he hadn't made the connection that the blue she'd picked was the same color as Liara's eyes, or he was just smart enough not to comment.

"Uh, where is he exactly?" She asked as they stepped into a dark room. His answer was to stand on the circle in the center, and a scanning grid began to appear. He motioned for her to join him, and as it completed, it gave the image of a dark room backlit by a large window's view of a star.

"Timmy, Raptor. Raptor, only guy with eyes weirder than ours." Bourne said, neatly ducking as she went to slap him in the back of the head.

She had to admit though, The Illusive Man's eyes were rather disturbing looking. "A _pleasure _as always Lt. Bourne."

"Yeah yeah, I hate your guts, you're only working with me cause we're a package deal. With that established- floor's all yours dinolady."

She rolled her eyes. "I was going to ask why we're meeting over this thing instead of in person, but I think that exchange just answered it."

Bourne grunted in agreement, a knife suddenly spinning between his fingers.

"Alright, so where's the proof I was promised?"

"Lt. Bourne didn't fill you in already?" He seemed surprised.

"I was kinda _distracted _by the fact that she's got biotics now." He growled in response. "Thought your goal was to bring her back exactly how she was."

"If we had been unable to restore motor control fine enough to shoot at her peak, you'd have been happy we were able to give her biotics to compensate. Instead, she has both."

"I _understand _the logic behind it." He seemed ready to say more, but instead he just thought for a moment and turned to her. "And to answer your question Raptor, the short version is that Human colonies have been being abducted out in the Terminus. Alliance and Council are pretending they're not related, but it's more than likely there's a connection to the Reapers."

"Cerberus isn't as evil as you believe-" He cut off as Bourne just started laughing uncontrollably.

After a few moments, he managed to get a hold of himself and gestured for TIM to continue. _Only five minutes and he's already got me giving him the nickname too._

"Our methods might be different, but we're on the same side."

"You mean the side that unleashes Thresher Maws on a squad to study them, or the side that uses Rachni and Thorian creepers to create an army?" She asked sarcastically. "Or the side that kills Admirals when they find out about the previous?"

"You need to put your personal feelings aside. Regardless of what you think of us, the Reapers are far worse."  
"Not by much." Bourne muttered just loud enough for Shepard to hear. There was something off about how he said it, but she couldn't place what it was.

"As Bourne said, entire colonies have been disappearing. We believe it's someone working for the Reapers, just as Saren and his Geth aided Sovereign."

"And given that Cerberus had to help... get your uh, body back from the Collectors, I'd put my money on them."

"The Collectors?" She asked. "What are those?"

"It's just a theory at this point." TIM cut her off.

"And I doubt anything you could say will convince me. Bourne's barely managed to get me to hear you out, let alone work with you."  
"I'd be disappointed if you accepted any of this without seeing it for yourself."

"For once Timmy, we agree." Bourne said. "So what's the gameplan then?"

"I have a shuttle waiting to take you to Freedom's Progress- the latest colony to be abducted."

"What, after all this time the SR-2 isn't ready to launch? Or is that thing 'for cerberus personal' only like all the messages I read on Miranda's computer?...By the way, you really oughta consider telling her to change her password again. Figured out that new one in just a few tries."

"Miranda and Jacob will brief you." He continued, ignoring Bourne.

"You expect me to trust them?"

"If you don't, I can always shoot them." Bourne said flatly. It was impossible to tell if he was kidding or if he was seriously offering. "Miranda _did _save your life- in a couple of ways really. Jacob might work for him, but that don't mean he trusts him. And if they do pull something, well, it's not a question of if we'll be able to kill them, it's a question of who kills them first."

"If you don't find the evidence we're after, we can both go our separate ways." Judging by the tone of his voice though, he was very sure they _would _find evidence.

"I will make sure we find it." Bourne said, an edge to his otherwise calm voice. "So unless there is something else…sonofa- he just pulled an us!" He exclaimed in disbelief as The Illusive Man terminated the connection.

"Kinda makes you feel bad for doing it to the council, huh?"

They looked at each other for a moment, trying to keep their faces straight before both burst out laughing.

"Ah, I have missed you Raptor."

"Yeah, you too Jason."

* * *

**)So, that went well.(**

**T117: Okay, so there's a couple questions or comments from the last chapter to address; I might just answer whatever questions there are next chapter instead of just doing it every five.**

**)Worth trying out at least.(**

**T117: Okay, first thing is something about how I keep saying the tech specialist is a death sentence...yeah, it would be for Jacob, which would be why Bourne wouldn't mind sending him in as that. I'm well aware Tali, Legion, and Kasumi are the right picks to survive.**

**)Next: What tech/weapons from other games would you like to add to ME?(**

**T117: Think we got a similar question in UiaWoF where my answer was lightsabers, but I'd like to change my answer to the grenade from Destiny that splits into the little robots and massacres what you throw it at.**

**)...Yeah, that thing is pretty cool.(**

Did you answer that question simply so you could mention Destiny again?

**T117: I can't help it if it's a kickass game...though I wish it didn't kick ****_my _****ass so often. Crucible is not my strong suit.**

**)Should we just wrap this up so we don't just end up ranting about Destiny or something?(**

There was actually one more question- what are your music preferences?

**)Well, his are about the same as mine, so I'll just let him take over.(**

**T117: A bit of about everything, except Rap.**

**)Wow, way to get detailed.(**

**T117: What do you want me to do, copy and paste my 50 most played?**

I can do that if you wish.

**T117: I was being sarcastic.**

I am aware.

**)Okay, I'm outta here.(**

**T117: Yeah, not much else for me to really say either. Sayonara.**


	12. Freedom's Progress

Bourne was the first out of the shuttle, assassin already raised, other hand half up as well, probably for biotics.

Even as she slung her sniper rifle over her shoulder, Raptor wondered how she'd be able to use them. For now, it seemed like she _might _be able to throw someone like she had Wilson, but anything more advanced would have to wait.

"Alright, you three are marked as friendlies." Bourne muttered to himself as he tapped a button on his visor.

"Think we should split up to cover more ground?" Jacob asked.

"I'm not trusting either of you to be out of my sight." Raptor replied, an edge in other otherwise calm voice.

"Besides which, we don't know for sure what the situation is. Numbers are probably better." Miranda said, getting a nod of agreement from Bourne.

He stopped suddenly, and cocked his head slightly, listening. "Think I hear something moving off that way. Mechanical- I would guess security mechs."

"Security was inactive at other colonies." Miranda said skeptically.

"Maybe a survivor turned them back on?" He said with a half shrug. "Good a direction to head as any."

"You and Jacob take point then. Miranda, you're in the middle, I'll hang back and cover the rest of you."  
He flicked a few knives into his left hand as he moved.

"It's like everyone up and left in the middle of dinner." Jacob muttered.

"Yeah, but no bodies anywhere. And no bullet impacts or scorch marks from explosions…" Raptor agreed, looking around. "No spent thermal clips either."

Bourne started whistling softly; a moment later she realized it was the theme for The Twilight Zone, and rolled her eyes.

He suddenly stopped, holding up a hand to signal the others to stop as well.

"Radar's picking up something moving on the other side of these doors...but thermal scans are clean...get to cover on either side of the door." He said, pointing to Jacob and Miranda. "Raptor, hang back so you can get a clear angle of anything in there."

"You might want to consider taking cover yourself."

His answer was simply to hit the door, teleporting out of sight the second it opened.

A pair of mechs- the same type that'd been on Lazarus station- stood up, and Shepard nailed one with a headshot, popping the clip as she shifted her aim to the other one. It exploded as a beam of energy struck it, and she followed the source back to Bourne's smoking left hand, standing on the roof above the mechs. "Looks like a few more are over here." He said, turning and firing another blast before charging in the same direction.

She sprinted down as the other two also moved up, and had to duck as a mech's severed arm went flying towards her head.

"Why do you even carry guns anymore?" She commented to Bourne as he stuck a pair of knives back into the sheaths on his shoulders.

"Style?" He bent down and scooped up a thermal clip, tossing it to her. "That and the fact they use the older system instead of these, so when you end up running out-"

"When have I run out of clips?"

"There was that time right before I took a rocket to the back."

"Against that many enemies, we'd have probably run out the ammo blocks too."

He pulled a spare ammo block from his belt pointedly, and she crossed her arms as she looked at him.

"Paranoid much?"

She got the feeling he was rolling his eyes behind the visor as he put it back away.

"These mechs were programmed to shoot on sight." Miranda said. "Backs up the theory about a survivor."

"Also- I told you so about the mechs." Bourne said, biotics around him as he moved, weapons stored completely as far as Raptor could tell; but knowing him, he could have a knife concealed in each hand just in case.

Her thought proved right as they moved towards a housing unit, and a pair of mechs stood up with weapons ready. He sent knives into their heads even as Jacob pulled them into the air and Miranda warped the field to detonate it.

"Picking up movement on the other side of the door. But I doubt mechs this time." He said, bending down and grabbing an SMG from a spot on his boot. It had a second handle up front, but he ignored it as he aimed it one handed, his left hand up and apparently ready to blast something like he had before.

"What makes you say that?" She asked.

"Call it a hunch." He answered as she moved up next to him. "Close quarters if they are hostile- shotgun might be better."

She gave him an irritated look. "Just cause it's close range, you don't think I can land a shot?"

"You can land _one _headshot- _maybe _two if you line it up right_- _and then you have to pop the clip. Acceptable here maybe with this many of us to fire back, but still a bit risky."  
She shrugged it onto her back and pulled out her assault rifle. "This better you whiner?"  
He chose to ignore that as he opened the door.

There was a momentary pause as the four of them took in the newcomers and they looked at them.

"Quarians?" She muttered quietly, wondering why they were there.

"Stop right there!" The one apparently in charge ordered, bringing up his weapon, pointing it straight at Bourne's head.

"You would be wise to lower that." He growled in response, biotics flaring around him.

"Praza! You said you'd let me handle this!" Another voice broke in as one of them moved past the apparent leader- a voice Shepard instantly recognized, even if the suit it belonged to was different.

"Tali?"

She did a double take as she turned to the two Spectres. "Shepard? Bourne?"

"I'm not taking any chances with-" Praza's shotgun was suddenly ripped out of his hands, glowing blue, and Bourne grabbed it out of the air by the muzzle.

"Tali, please tell this idiot to stand down before I put him down." He said conversationally as he tossed the gun to the side, storing his own weapon.

She instantly had her own pistol aimed at his head. "Prove that it's you."  
"Well, I could talk about the matching scars on my shoulder and your gut, or could I just do this." He cleared his throat. "Have you and Garrus-" He cut off as Shepard punched him in the arm, making him stumble into the wall as he grasped at it.

"Remember when we gave you that data from the Geth bases? Did it help you complete your pilgrimage?"

Tali nodded slowly, lowering the gun. "I believe that it's really Bourne, but...I was on the Normandy when it blew up. I saw the escape pods that you weren't in."

"Tali, this is bullshit. Why would your old commander and XO be working for Cerberus?" Praza asked, now holding a pistol.

"I don't know...maybe we should ask." The gun came up slightly.

"Human colonies are disappearing- kinda like this settlement apparently did." Bourne answered, wincing as he flexed his arm. "Cerberus is investigating them, the Council and Alliance are ignoring them."

"And the fact that Shepard's still alive?"

"A lot of advanced tech that only they could provide. That's the trade off- they bring her... out of her coma, we help them look into this colony thing because the Reapers might be involved."

"And you kept this secret for this long why?"

His face further hardened, if that was possible. "We don't have time for the full story, and it's not one that can be condensed."

"Why would an organization like Cerberus put that much time into bringing back one soldier?" Prazza was really starting to annoy her and it looked like Bourne felt the same way, from his body language.

"You've never seen Shepard in action." He and Tali said at the same time.

"And you've also never seen _me _in action, so I'll give you a word of advice." He added. "Drop the guns, or I will drop _you._" Biotics flared around his fist, making it very clear it was not an idle threat.

Prazza hesitated before lowering the weapon and signaling the others to do the same.

"Heavy handed much?" Raptor commented.

"Would you rather they fired and someone died?" He replied. It was obvious from his tone that _someone _meant a quarian(s), not them.

"Not particularly." She turned to Tali. "Your turn to tell why you're here. Though it is good to see a friendly...helmet."

"See, that's why _I_ didn't make a "good to see a friendly face so to speak" joke." Bourne sighed.

"We're here looking for a young quarian named Veetor. He was here on Pilgrimage."

"You think he's still alive?" Raptor asked with a frown. "You're the first people we've seen. First alive or dead, come to think of it."

"We saw him when we landed. Or rather he saw us and ran." Prazza answered. "He was never that stable to begin with, and his suit looked damaged. An open air infection or damage to his suit's CO2 scrubbers most likely. It'd make him delirious at best."

"Sounds like we both want to find him them. We need to know what happened here, and you need to get him back for treatment."

"I'm guessing it was him that programmed the mechs in this place to attack on sight then?" Bourne said.

"As far as we can tell."

He brought up his omni-tool, and started entering commands. "Damnit, should've had Kasumi come with us." He muttered as it flared red before he made a quick move and it went to green. "Good news first or bad news?"

"What did you just do?" Raptor asked him.

"Good news then. The shipping and security records show 50 total Loki units. We've already taken down a dozen, and there's got to be a few that were destroyed during the attack. Bad news is there's also several rocket drones, and three heavy mechs total were deployed here. Those aren't so easy to take down."

Her response was to pat the grenade launcher still on her back. "We should split up so we can get past the drones then."

"Good idea." Tali agreed.

"Now we're working with Cerberus?" Prazza objected angrily.

"No Prazza, you're working with _me_." Tali said as she turned to face him. "If you can't follow orders, go wait on the ship."

That seemed to finally shut him up.

"So you know where he is then?" Bourne asked, hand on his chin.

"The warehouse on the far side of the colony. If you head there, we can circle around and draw the drones away so you can get by easier."

He brought up what looked like schematics, and studied them a moment. "Too far for me to teleport- looks like shields are up around the thing too. Guess it was worth a shot though."

"Teleport?" Praza said skeptically.

Bourne spun on his heels and disappeared with a faint whooshing noise, reappearing behind him. "Like I said, you've never seen me in action." He teleported back to where he'd been as Prazza spun around, then back to the others.

"Cerberus scum." He muttered.

"Not that I'd disagree with that assessment in most cases, but your people really don't seem to like the group." Raptor commented. "Did I miss something?"

"They infiltrated our flotilla, killed our people, and tried to blow up one of our ships." Prazza answered angrily.

"That's not how I'd have put it, exactly." Miranda spoke up. Shepard had almost forgotten she and Jacob were there.

"And you think we care about how you'd have put it...why?" Bourne asked as he grabbed his assassin off his hip again. "That's pretty much exactly what you dumbasses did."

"Keep in radio contact." Raptor said, switching back to her sniper rifle, doing her best not to use it like a club as Bourne shook his head.

"Good luck Shepard...whatever happens, it's good to have you back. Bourne, on the other hand…"

"Yeah yeah, good to see you too." He muttered as he moved out the door.

* * *

I was mentally counting down in my head until- "Shepard, Bourne! Prazza and his squad rushed on ahead! I told him to wait, but he wouldn't listen! He wants to take Veetor away before you get here."

_So much for intimidating him into cooperating. Unless I teleported to his position now...No, odds are he's out of range. And even if he isn't, with that many people, they'd be able to take me down if I didn't use lethal force in turn._

As if on cue, a rocket exploded right by my foot, dropping my barriers and sending me rolling for cover, popping my assault rifle over my shoulder and into my hands. _And the drones are going to be a pain in the ass since Miranda's the only one with any powers that'll take down shields. _I stood up as I poured my energy back into my barrier, and fired at the nearest drone. Its shields were no match for the SPECTRE grade weapon, and it fell easily.

Which still left several more. Luckily Shepard had switched to her Avenger- _I need to make sure to get her a better weapon at some point when I get the chance, or at least some mods for that thing- _and between the two assault rifles and Miranda's overload tech, the going was fairly easily. Jacob wasn't much help, but he at least had his barrier so they couldn't just take him down.

I was counting down in my head again as we got to the warehouse. After two years where I'd been forced to mostly guess what would happen, or just rely on instinct, it was actually kinda nice to know what was coming...but at the same time, I sorta wished I could've gone back to blind hope.

"Veetor reprogrammed a pair of heavy mechs! They're tearing Prazza's squad apart!"

"A _pair _of them?" I echoed. _So much for knowing what's coming._

"One on each side- they're boxed in, taking cover in the housing units. I can open the doors, but it'll draw their attention."

Raptor looked at me. "Can you keep a barrier up until we're to cover?"

"Yeah, if you give me covering fire so I can move after."

Her response was to store her rifle, and grab the grenade launcher off her back. "I think I can do that."

I motioned for them to take cover on either side of the doors as I stood directly in front of it. "Tali, hit the door."

"You sure you can handle them both?"

"I'm sure... Besides, not like this'll be the first time you've opened a door and put me in the path of a few dozen rockets." I teased. "It'll just be on purpose this time around."

She didn't dignify that with a response, but the icon on the doors went green, and I closed my eyes for a brief moment, taking a deep breath as I listened to them slide apart. My eyes snapped open as my hands flew up, and a barrier stopped the rockets and machine gun fire cold. I slowly pressed forward. "Get moving! I don't know how long I'll be able to maintain this thing!"

"Get out of shape these last two years?" Raptor called as she sprinted behind cover, Miranda joining her. Jacob on the other hand…

"Taylor, get behind a crate that isn't going to disintegrate in one hit!" I yelled at him, feeling a vein popping in my forehead. Whether that was cause I was ticked at him for being an idiot, or the barrier was barely up, I had no idea. But I needed to move before the thing dropped- I guessed about thirty seconds before I'd be unable to maintain it. I made it smaller as Taylor got behind cover, but that just meant less to aim at, and they focused fire.

I grit my teeth._ If they don't take the heat off of me soon, I'm going to lose this thing and be a sitting duck. With how much fire they're pouring on, I won't even have time to charge before I get turned into swiss cheese._

One of them stumbled suddenly as one of Raptor's grenades caught it in the chest, and I took the opening to charge to cover. I winced as a rocket impacted nearby my new cover, sending a piece of shrapnel flying into the side of my knee. I grit my teeth as I half hopped so I could lean out of cover and fire my Dreadshot as many times as I could- all three shots hit their mark, taking out both knees on the left one as well as damaging the armor around its chest.

I pulled myself back behind the crate, feeling my head spinning as I looked down at the injured right leg. _Damnit, that's the femoral artery. Need to get these things down so I can treat this thing before I bleed out._

I heard several more grenades explode, followed by what sounded like a larger explosion courtesy of the mech.

"That's the first one down- we could use some help dealing with the other one though." Raptor's voice came over the com.

"Out of grenades?"

"Out of powercells, yeah."  
I felt my leg give out, and barely managed to catch myself with my good leg and arms. "Think you could score some headshots with a pistol at this range?"

"I can hit any part of the thing, I just can't take it down without a better gun."

I checked her position on my radar and turned her way. "Then take your pick- Scorpion or Assassin."

"...Scorpion." I used what little biotic energy I had left to toss the weapon to her.

"You alright?"

"Mostly, but I took some shrapnel in the leg- if you can deal with the mech yourself so I can treat it, I'd appreciate it."  
"Taylor, show me again how to activate the incendiary ammo for the gun." She barked at him as I lowered myself to the ground, popping off the armor around the wound. I took a look at the leg and sighed, activating my omni-tool and applying medigel to stop the bleeding. Digging it out myself would've only made it worse. I did a quick run over the leg with the omni-tool, using the micro fabricator to carve away enough of the metal I could put my armor back on over it. I gingerly tested the leg as I stood up. It hurt like hell, but it mostly held my weight.

I heard a large explosion as the mech went up in smoke, and a shout of triumph from Raptor.

"All hostiles down." Miranda called, standing up and storing her weapon. Raptor stood up a moment later and walked over to me, handing my gun back.

"I might have to get one of these myself."

"For the low price of 20,000 credits, I could hook you up with one." I forced a joke through grit teeth.

She glanced down at my bloody leg, than back up at me. "Do you need to stop so we can-"

"It'll hold, long as this is the last of the fighting for a while. Doc can patch me up when we get back."

"I guess you've had worse." She said with a shrug after a moment, though she still looked a bit worried.

"Come on, let's go see if all this was worth it." I said, limping my way towards the housing unit. _Have I ever mentioned how much I hate going through conversations I've already had a couple dozen times?_

_...Guess I actually haven't mentioned it to anyone, cause of the whole secret thing, but that makes it no less true._

* * *

**)So can we just agree now to talk about something other than Destiny this time?(**

**T117: Argh, ****_fine._**

**)...Ideas for a different topic?(**

**T117: Why would I be able to come up with something if you can't?...Or vise versa really.**

**)I don't know. You're nuts enough to write as Iron, so having a conversation with me shouldn't be that much more difficult...which is kinda scary in regards to your sanity.(**

**T117: I'm aware of what my sanity is like. Argh, CTHI, ideas for a topic?**

New user connecting.

**)...New user?(**

**S7: *Yawn* What's up? Decided to drop in before bed.**

Actually, Trebor asked him to come because he was scraping the bottom of the barrel for things to talk about in this A/N.

**T117: CTHI, can you ever ****_not _****point things like that out?**

**S7: Sure she can, you just have to stop having her do it.**

**)Yeah, but then he has me do it, or Hero when she's around...like I said, there are some problems with his sanity.(**

**~What's up guys? I found Spike's old computer and decided to invite myself to this chat.~**

**S7: Wait, how did you do that?**

**~Because you have it set to auto-use passwords and e-mails so I logged on with that then invited my own personal file.~**

**(Oh. I just know Trebor's passwords because he only uses like three different ones for all his profiles.)**

**S7:Shit, forgot that I created an actual genius character.**

**~Spike uses like eighteen but you can usually figure it out thanks to the fact that he bases them off)$*#) *$) #*$. The fuck? How the hell did you bleep that out?~**

**S7: Because I created you. Anyway, so how you all doing in the Raptorverse?**

**)Uh, who the hell are these people? And why is Iron here?(**

**(Because we actually remember a thing you don't remember because...well, dunno what exactly Spike's logic for her is, but in my case I'm just too detached from reality to be fooled by something like a memory wipe. Also, rule of funny.)**

**~I remember because I can universe hop at will so I didn't need to go meet CTHI and the bullshit they used to write themselves into the story.~**

**)...Trebor, did you take drugs to try spicing up this A/N? Because this is making no sense at all here.(**

**T117: I am always completely sober when writing...yeah, crazy theory gets another point.**

**S7: Any other questions Matt Damon?**

**(Uh, no, I'm Iron. ****_Iron. _****Are you on drugs too, or are you just having memory loss?)**

**~You realize you just deterred someone making fun of Bourne right?~**

**(Yeah, because that insult sucked. If it was a good one I would've allowed it.)**

**)Gee, thanks for having my back Iron.( **

**S7: Okay, can you think of something better because we used pretty much everything in UiaWoF?**

**)In what?(**

**(I dunno, there's one thing, but it's not going to actually happen to him for a while so I can't insult him for it...at least 'scarface' or 'fugly' are classics you can't go wrong with.)**

**)Well, I guess you would know considering how many people must've called you those things.(**

**S7: Alright, I think this is a mission accomplished on stuff to talk about. Better wrap this up before folks start bitching.**

**T117: No offense, but some of my readers are just kinda dicks when it comes to you/Ty/Users. I just don't care.**

**S7: No shit, I thought they all were just jealous.**

**(Jealous of what? Your record for having a low IQ?)**

**)So, is this guy your friend, or what? I'm getting kinda mixed signals here.(**

**T117: Eh, let's go with coworker/coauthor.**

**S7: It's like they say. Never mix pleasure with business and when we work together, it's business.**

**(Yeah, but even when you just are playing ME3 or Destiny online there's still that rapport between you.)**

**S7: At least when Trebor remembers to turn his mic on.**

**T117:...Yeah, gotta give that one to you.**

**S7: Well, I gotta go work on Users 2 so catch you 1473I2.**

**)...Catch us what?(**

Farwell.

**T117: Sayonara.**

**(Later Suckas.)**

**)...I'm outta here.(**


	13. The Normandy SR-2

"Have to hide. Mechs will protect. No monsters, no swarm-" The quarian cut himself off with a surprised gasp as a knife embedded in one of the screens next to him.

Raptor turned to glare at her fellow spectre.

"What? Had to get his attention _somehow_."

She slugged him in the arm, causing him to stumble back several steps- though it was hard to tell how much was due to the force of the punch, and how much was his injured leg.

"You're...you're human. Where did you hide? How come they didn't find you?"

"Who didn't find us?" Miranda asked, somewhat irritably, but she at least seemed to be trying to suppress it.

"The...monsters. The Swarms."

"Swarms?" Jacob questioned.

"We weren't here Veetor." Raptor said gently. "We're trying to figure out what happened."

"You weren't here...you didn't see." He said half to himself. "I saw- I see everything." He turned to the screen, and Bourne made a circling gesture around his ear with a finger. It took a moment to recognize it, but she glared at him once she did.

He rolled his eyes, but nonetheless stopped and looked at the screens.

She did as well.

"What is that?" Jacob asked, and she looked where he was. The creature looked vaguely humanoid, but with a wide head that had four glowing eyes and hands that had three fingers like many other races. They either didn't wear clothing, or it was very form fitting, but either way they looked to her like giant bugs.

"I dunno, maybe they're a new type of Rachni?" Bourne said sarcastically. "That, or they're Collectors."

She heard the capital letter at the beginning and turned to look at him. "Collectors? You said something about them before."

"Possibly the species we know least about. Their homeworld is somewhere beyond the Omega-4 relay, completely unmapped. They show up now and again to take 'samples, but...not a lotta people have ever seen one in person and lived to tell about it." He crossed his arms, eyes roaming across the screen, apparently taking in every detail. "They hardly ever do the dirty work themselves...They've got a lot of advanced tech, which they often give in trade for said samples. My money says it's from the Reapers, and they used it to disable this colony so they could...do whatever they did." He looked at Veetor.

"The seeker swarms- they find you, then freeze you, then the monsters take you away." He shivered visably.

"The little bug things?" She muttered in an undertone.

Bourne nodded, his hearing obviously as good as it'd ever been. "The swarms...they track the colonists, then paralyze them somehow?"

He nodded.

"Could be a stasis field, or maybe nerve toxin." Miranda noted.

"Live victims. Doubt it's for good reasons." Bourne muttered. "Must've been calibrated just for humans if they missed Veetor. Or else the suit masked the vital signs."

"The monsters took the people onto the ships, then left." Veetor shivered again. "But they'll back for me. Nobody escapes."

Bourne's face looked oddly sympathetic- though with how little she could see of it in the light, the visor in front of the eyes, and his own self control, she might've just been imagining it. "Thank you for telling all that Veetor. But we're trying to stop them from doing this to other people. If there's anything else you can give us- data, more footage…"

"I studied the swarms- recorded the data with my omni-tool. Dark energy, electromagnetic."

"We need to get this data to The Illusive Man." Miranda said, looking at the two spectres. "Let's call the shuttle, grab the quarian, and get out of here."

Bourne turned towards the door, and a moment later Raptor did as well as she heard Tali's voice.

"What? Veetor is injured! He needs-"

Bourne raised a hand to cut her off and looked back at Miranda. "A: Do you really think he'd be able to tell us much more in his state? B: Having been a _guest _of Cerberus after the Battle of the Citadel, I gotta say your hospitality sucks. C: Tali's right- he needs to get back to his own people. D:-" Biotics flared around him. "_I'm_ second around here. Not you. You want to make a suggestion, don't phrase it like an order, and don't make it if you're only going to sound like a fool after having said it."

"The Quarians have already betrayed us once." Miranda protested, and for a second Raptor thought she saw a hint of red in Bourne's biotics, before she dismissed it as another trick of the light. "If we give him to them, we have no garun-" She was cut off as a stasis field appeared around her.

Bourne looked at Jacob, almost looking like was bored. "_You_ got any objections?"  
He wisely took a step back.

"That's what I figured." He said dryly.

"We take the omni-tool data, you take him?" Raptor asked Tali.

"Deal...I'm glad it's still the two of you giving the orders."

"Meaning you're glad she's around to reel me in when needed?" Bourne deadpanned.

"Something like that."

He didn't respond, he just looked back at the screen. Hatred or sadness could've been his expression. Raptor didn't know which, or why it could've been either.

As they piled onto the shuttle, she sat down next to him, but before she could speak he spoke up. "If you want to talk to me and it's not critical, I'd rather we wait for a while so I can get this leg treated and not have my head swimming."

"A little scratch like that has you-"

"It hit a major artery Raptor. I probably lost more blood than is healthy, plus there are the biotics taking a lot of energy out of me too."

She looked down at her hands, and furrowed her brow as she tried to concentrate. Her hands remained unlit though.

Bourne seemed to get her intentions anyway, and deactivated the visor as he gave her the look a parent would a foolish child. "If you want to experiment with the biotics, don't do it in a pressurized metal container please. Or at least not one this small while I'm also in it." He shook his head slowly. "I can tell already teaching you is going to be...frustrating for both of us."

"What, do you want me to teach you how to use a sniper rifle in return?" She asked sarcastically. A moment later, both of them blinked and got the same surprised look.

"That might actually be a good idea." They said almost in unison.

"That's kinda creepy, you know that?" Jacob said with a chuckle.

They grinned as they looked at each other, than at him. "Yeah, we know."

Miranda muttered something under her breath that made Bourne chuckle to himself as he leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes.

* * *

"I've told you, I could give you something for the pain." Chakwas said for the third time.

"And I've told you before- I can handle the pain, and with how much it'd take for it to even slightly numb it, you'd just be wasting it." I wasn't looking at it despite that, instead playing a modern clone of Bejeweled on the Omni-tool...though the slight twitches I kept making without being able to stop myself meant I kept screwing myself over at the worst times. "How long before I'm back up on my feet you think?"

"Given how fast you tend to heal, I'd say you'd be able to use it fairly normally by lunchtime tomorrow as long as you don't strain it in the meantime." She said, bending over to look closer at the wounds. "You came within an inch of severing a tendon, or bursting the meniscus."

"Guess they don't make rockets explode like they used to, huh?"

"Last time a rocket hit you prior to this one, you were out for a day and a half."

I shrugged. "I've been down longer from stab wounds or gunshots."

I had to wonder how coincidental the sudden stab of pain in that area was.

I looked at the door as Raptor walked in. She'd removed her armor, and was now wearing a plain blue shirt and black jeans, with grey tennis shoes. I gestured to them with my free hand. "Found the package I left you I see."

"Yeah, thanks. It's a lot better than all the Cerberus covered crap they had for me."

"I figured that orange they use would kinda clash with the eyes." I winced again. "Not to rush you or anything doc, but how long is this going to take?"

"That depends on how much you interrupt me." She responded without looking up.

I rolled my eyes and looked back at Shepard. "So, Timmy manage to talk you into this?"

"Only because you'd already gotten me halfway there." She crossed her arms. "Did _you _know Joker was going to be our pilot, or that the ship they're currently prepping for us was a replica of the Normandy?"

"Not quite a replica- they made a few upgrades. But yeah." I chuckled. "Did you get a chance to look at the dossiers yet?"

"Yep. Don't like Timmy-now you've got me doing that!- but I think his suggestion to head for Omega is a good one. We need The Professor, and since two of our other targets are there…" She shrugged. "Did you have a point, or where you just changing the subject?"

"I already recruited one of them, and she's basically the best damn thief in the galaxy. So their firewalls weren't exactly going to protect all their little secrets from me."

"Basically?" A voice said from behind her, and she spun around as a black clad women in a dark hood appeared.

"I heard you coming from a mile away." I said with a chuckle. "Might want to work on a sound dampener or something."

She huffed and disappeared again.

"Might want to check your pockets." I commented to Raptor. "I think her hand was at least reaching towards one of them, but I couldn't tell if she made contact or not."

"...Damnit, yeah, a credit chit is missing."

"One of us can get it back from her later- she was just showing off." I shrugged. "So any idea how long till they're finished prepping the Normandy 2?"

"Should still be about twelve hours."

"Good. After I'm done here I can teleport in and get some sleep. That'll give you some time to look around the ship if you want anyway."

She nodded. "Then in the morning we can have Joker set course for Omega...maybe you can give me some pointers on the biotics on the way."

"It's not something you can learn in a few hours. But it's a good a place to start as any I guess...how are you handling all this? Cause it's technically tomorrow, depending on the timezone…"

She sighed. "I don't know. Having you here makes it a bit easier, I guess. You and the others from the original Normandy are the only people I trust."

"I hear that...but the good thing is most of the crew aren't really Cerberus- they're recently recruited only for this mission, or don't really know what Cerberus really is."

"You said really twice. Yeah, I got that vibe from talking to Chambers or the engineers."

"So you've already explored the ship?"

"The elevator's a bit faster than the old one."

"...Huh. Maybe Miranda _was _listening to me when I said that."

Chakwas cleared her throat. "As long as you don't put any unneeded strain on it, that should hold. Make sure you talk to me before you go out on mission though- I'd rather not see you lose the leg."

I slowly sat up and cracked my neck before standing. "Yeah, no kidding...though I hardly ever need to walk anywhere between the charging and teleporting." I shrugged. "You want a lift Raptor?"

"Are you sure you can teleport onto the ship from here?"

"...Nope." I grabbed her by the shoulder and spun on my good leg, putting us in front of the doors to our cabins. They'd modified the design slightly so both would fit- they were just squished in more towards the sides of the ship, and set a bit lower. Other than that, the only difference was that mine was the mirror image of hers- shower on the left instead of right, fishtanks on the right wall, ect.

I put my hand on the palm scanner I'd installed, and the door flashed to green before they opened. "Alright, I think I'm going to get some shut eye. Might not be a bad idea for you to do the same."

"I will...Jason, I need to ask you something."

I brought up my omni-tool to do a quick bug check, then nodded. "What is it?"

"Timmy...he said Liara's working for the Shadow Broker."

My response was to laugh- which I only realized was a bad idea a moment later when I was dazed on the ground. "Was it something I said?" I mumbled as I sat up, room spinning. I tried standing up, only to lose my balance and fall on my ass- not because of the leg either.

"Are you okay?" Raptor asked, concerned. "I didn't think I was-"

"You have cybernetics and crap now- you're even stronger than before." I looked at the bed, and rolled to the side so I teleported and ending up sitting on the edge.

"Great." She shook her head. "Did I ever tell you about the time I broke a kid's arm way back in first grade by punching him?"

"...No, but the fact that you did is completely unsurprising to me."

"So now...is this what it felt like for you?"

"What?"

"This...sense that you could hurt someone if you weren't careful? I mean having-" She made a vague gesture across her face, and I realized a moment later she meant Iron.

I considered it a moment. "Not exactly the same, but I guess I can see the similarities. You'll just have to be extra careful till you get a handle on it...man, that's going to make Liara time difficult...wow, even as a zombie your cheeks still go all red."

"This isn't embarrassed red. This is _angry _red."

"...Sorry. Okay, the reason I laughed before was cause Liara working for the Broker is...well...she's actually trying to find and or kill him."

"...What."

"He was trying to sell your...body to the collectors, and Liara's the one that stopped them and got you to Cerberus so they could rebuild you...I feel like you'll hate me for saying this, but at the same time I feel I ought to warn you: She's not the innocent scientist we found back under a mountain. She's...toughened up a lot the last two years."  
"You've met up with her?"

"Not myself, no. But my contacts have a few times...I don't know. After my own relationship disintegration, I feel like I'm the last person who should be giving you advice about something like this...not that I was a particularly good candidate before."

"No, no you were not."

"Any other pressing concerns?"

"Maybe Miranda. She seems almost...religiously devoted to Cerberus."

"And blind to its true evils. She either denies events happened, claimed Timmy didn't know, says they were rogue factions...some of them she admits were wrong, but not willingly."

"At least she has some sense of humor. She said something about wanting to put a control chip in my..." She trailed off as she saw the look on my face. "She...wasn't joking?"  
"Timmy wanted to bring you back as you were, without changing your character and all that, said a control chip would be a mistake- though given the new biotics, it's debatable how much she was listening, or how how much he meant the former. With hindsight, I'm glad I leaned on her not to as well."

"What'd you threaten her with this time?"

I smiled slightly. "Let's just say everyone has secrets, but some are far better at hiding them. And I'm better at finding them then she'll ever be."

"So any ideas about what happened to the other two then? Wrex and Garrus?""

I felt my pokerface slide into place on its own at the mention of the last name. "Wrex hasn't left Tuchanka since he went there before Normandy 1 exploded. Garrus went back to C-sec for a while, but I guess he left again. Now...I've got suspicions, but nothing concrete." I considered the risks a moment before shrugging. "Honestly, my best guess is that he could be this Archangel guy we're going after. Turian sniper, hates thugs like you'd find on Omega, apparently pretty handy with an omni-tool, small group training- profile fits."

"Sounds a little too coincidental."

"Maybe, but that doesn't mean I can't be right." I chuckled. "We'll know tomorrow, one way or the other."

"Yeah...Do you want to do some biotic stuff after breakfast then or-"

"I dunno. That can be pretty tiring, but then again you should have pretty good endurance with the cybernetics, and just your usual physique. Guess I could at least get you working on a Throw or something. Doubt you'll be using them during the mission though." I shrugged. "We can talk about it in the morning, like you said. Just remember to grab extra grub, or else go for higher calories."

She chuckled. "It sounds like not having to worry about gaining weight just might be the best part of the biotics."

"Yeah, it's definitely a perk, but I gotta put that in second myself. Not having to walk across the room to grab stuff is my favorite part- It's like 'oh darn, I left so-and-so item over there. Come to my hand so-and-so item.'...that and I don't have to worry about not having a gun...and with the former thing I can pretend to be a jedi." I admitted.

"...A what?"

"...At some time during this mission we are watching those movies...or at least the good ones."

She shrugged. "I get your point though I guess. Even though in regards to the second part you still carry at least the Assassin at any given time. And the knives."

"Well, yeah, but that's just because...coolness factor?"

"So what do the bracelet things do, hold more of them?"

My answer was to smile and flick my wrists.

"...What the-?" She said blankly, looking at the black webbing now covering them, as well as the discs on either palm.

"Cybernetic implants based around something Cerberus was working on- though vastly improved now." I stored them with another flick. "I'll give you a demonstration somewhere else- I don't want to break something in here...except for maybe the fish tanks. Thinking about taking those out and setting up some sorta weapon's storage for my custom guns; don't really want to leave those in the armory."

"Yeah, I meant to ask about that too- why the hell is that on the second floor instead of in the cargo bay?"

"...Uh...that's a good question...cause I was worried about other stuff, I guess? I dunno, maybe we can move all that stuff down before we take off. Or next time we're docked or something."

"Some of those lockers looked pretty heavy." She said doubtfully. "I mean, I know you're a strong biotic-"

"I'm a teleporting biotic. I just grab one, bend a little, and- Oh, look, we're in the cargo bay! But I am not teaching you that one until _I _understand exactly how the hell I do it...maybe Charge, but you're more of a long range fighter most of the time." I put a hand to my chin, thinking. "Warp should be next after Throw- that or Pull, but all three are pretty much staples, so you ought to learn those first…I don't know, I've heard a thing or two about Asari snipers, so maybe Dark Channel or Reave once you get Warp down- they're basically the same as Warp, but they're pretty much instant instead of having a travel time."

"Well, if it makes you feel better, I have no idea where to start when it comes to teaching you how to use a sniper rifle."

"...Well, I already know how to use pretty much any other firearm there is, so...I have no idea either. It might be I know how to do it but just don't know I do cause of the Amnesia...or I could be unteachable." I shrugged. "Who the hell knows."


	14. Veteran(s)

You know how in movies after a nightmare people always jolt awake and sit up, even though nobody does that in real life?

It was apparently true- instead of sitting up, my eyes snapped open and I teleported to the other side of the room, Dreadshot up and aimed at anything that moved.

The only motion was a fly buzzing around the room- which I crushed with my biotics as I collapsed in the chair behind the desk.

I closed my eyes, trying to remember what the nightmare had been- but dreams were the one thing I couldn't remember perfectly, only hazy images or vague impressions.

What I did get made me wish I could face Saren again- and pay him over two-fold for the hell he'd put me through. I suppressed a shiver at the thought of those memories being able to enter my waking thoughts as well as they did my dreams. Or the thought that they could've started to surface when Ashley and I were together- I might've killed her in my sleep, or had her shake me awake and respond by...I didn't want to think of it. I knew more ways to kill people than I could count, and had all the instincts to do so at a moment's notice- especially when not in full control of what I was doing.

_Maybe Thane has something right with that whole "body's not my fault'" thing. _I thought as I stood up, pulling open my drawers and changing into my usual stuff, before tossing my armor on over it and teleporting.

I walked into the range and was greeted with the sight of Raptor nailing headshot after headshot in a scenario. Thermal clips might've slowed her shots down slightly, but her accuracy was still razor sharp. She noticed me as she reloaded, and nodded at me before going back to what she was doing.

I stood against the wall and waited- it only took about five minutes for the scenario to be over.

"Still can't sleep through the night, huh?" She asked, collapsing the gun and storing it on her back again. "Genemods must be nice."

I did a quick bug scan without even thinking about it, and crushed the one that was hiding behind a panel with a small singularity. "Not the genemods making sure I can't sleep. It's everything else Saren and his pals did to me."

She took that in for a moment. "Your amnesia-"

"Still there for the most part...But when I'm asleep, there's a few flashes here and there; most of it fades with the dreams, luckily enough...what about you?"

"After being out cold for the better part of two years, maybe I just don't need as much sleep." She deadpanned. "Or it could be that I'm working with the group that've caused half my nightmares over the years...I saw them, all the people I lost on Akuze, accusing me, coming for me with...it was a lot easier to handle when I wasn't sleeping alone." She said softly.

I put a hand on her shoulder. "I know what that's like... my girlfriend wasn't blue or scaly, but the gist of it is the same."

She slowly walked over to a chair and sat down, almost collapsing into it. "That's not even the worse one."

I sat down across from her. "You want to talk about it?"

"...Am I still me? I mean, I feel like me, but...I could just be some advanced computer program that just thinks it's Commander Shepard or-"

"Raptor, I asked myself that a hundred times over the last two years as I watched them put you back together. Hell, I'd be worried if you _weren't _asking. But any doubts I had vanished the first time I saw you again...and then were buried even deeper the first time you punched me."

"You did kinda spring the whole Cerberus thing on me out of nowhere."

"Yeah, but if I didn't Jacob would've, and he wouldn't have been fast enough to dodge or tough enough to survive if it did connect."

We sat in silence for a few minutes before she looked at my gloves. "Are those the same things you had last night?"

"They're cybernetic implants, so yeah. Kinda hard to remove...not to mention painful. The armor just goes on over the top of the webbing stuff, and then that hooks up with the rest of the armor well enough to hold in a vacuum."

"But what do they do?"  
I stood up in answer, and activated my omni-tool, bringing up her old "sniping practice" scenario.

I brought my hands back behind me as a pair of Krogan appeared, then swung them upwards as I channeled biotic energy through my palms, and my lashes caught both warlords in the chest, knocking them back. I dropped the lash from my left hand and aimed it at the closer one, using my biotics to dial in the power. He was blasted about thirty feet before he landed, and I dispatched the other one with a second blast just as time ran out.

"Huh. What do you call that?"

"The lashes are just...kinda called lashes, and the beam thing I nicknamed the Dreadshot."

"...The Dreadshot?" She asked, putting a hand to her mouth to stifle her giggle.

"...The only other thing I could think of that sounded remotely right was Nailgun."  
She laughed so hard she almost fell out of her chair.

"You know, I don't think that you have much room to talk about _my _choice of names, _Raptor._"

"Says the guy who admitted to stealing his name from an old film series."

"I only had a minute to think of it.".

"And have you come up with a better name since then?"

"...Not really."

"Whereas I've thought of a couple of other names I could use, but just got used to Raptor so I decided to stick with that."

"Yeah, and yet you think I'd change my name even if I did come up with something?"

"You never did like being called Lt. Bourne. Maybe Lt. something else-"

"No." I said, trying hard to keep a straight face, not completely succeeding. "So, you want to start on the biotic practice slash lessons or try teaching me how to snipe, or grab food first or…"

"I think I want to put off eating if I can. I doubt Cerberus gave me the same perks about not needing to eat extra."

"So the trick is instead of eating more healthy stuff for the extra calories, keep something nice and unhealthy around. Heck, you know how many calories are in beer?"

"Are you saying I was fat before?"

"...How is that question manages to terrify me even when I know you're joking?"

"Because you're male, and still somewhat sane."

"Let's not go _that _far." I chuckled.

"Alright, let's start with the biotics then?"

"Sure." _Come on pessimistic side, how bad could it be?_

* * *

"Ow. Just...Ow. Everywhere." I groaned as I got back up. "I did explain the point was to throw the barrel in front of you, not the teacher behind you, didn't I?"

"Sorry." She said, sheepishly rubbing the back of her neck.

"I'm not even sure how you did that honestly...Maybe once we figure out how to get you to do it right, you can teach me how you did it that wrong."

"Are you sure you even know how to teach this stuff?"

"I'm mostly having to guess." I admitted, walking over to where she was and motioning for her to let me take her place. "The trouble is that by far the easier way to use biotics is to use hand motions." I held my arm in front of me and twitched the hand up. The barrel rose in the air, glowing blue. A quick turn and shove of the arm sent it flying. "You can get better control, and it can even be more powerful." I lashed it back and set it where it'd been. "But that's not always how I do it. I can when I need to, or want to look more intimidating, but a lot of the time I end up doing things with a lot less motion, if any." I tilted my head back slightly, and it rose in the air, then tilted it forward almost like I nodding, and it went flying forward. "It's about association- hand motions like I'm trying to teach you make it easier for your brain to make the connection to the eezo nodes- doing this means this happens, doing that means that happens, ect."

"So you're saying it's a mental problem?" She said dryly.

"Give yourself some credit. You're already managing to toss stuff around after just a couple hours- not counting what you did to Wilson...Thanks for that by the way, kinda slipped my mind to say that at the time since I was kinda in shock."

She rolled her eyes.

"But I've been doing it since before I can remember, course I'd make it look easy."

She moved past me again to glare at the barrel, but it remained motionless. She finally turned back to me. "You don't remember learning any of this stuff, right?"

"No. Not except for a few things I puzzled out for myself." I brought both hands in front of me and clapped, and a huge blue ball of energy shot forth and destroyed the barrel completely. I hit a button to dispense another and shrugged. "That and a sort of biotic punch." I walked up to it, then drew my hand back with biotics around it and punched it as hard as I could. My fist went clean through it for a split second, then the force caught up with it and it went flying off my hand into the far wall.

"Showoff." She muttered.

I pretended I hadn't heard her as I turned around. "Honestly, I was expecting you to have trouble even figuring out to do...anything. So it's not a question of that, it's about figuring how to get control of them."

"So I guess it goes without saying I shouldn't use them in combat today?"

I was silent for a moment. "That depends on a lot of things. If it's a last resort, obviously you should use them."

"What else does it depend on?"

"I've looked a little more into the two who aren't paid already- Mordin and Arkangel. The former is in the slums, apparently trying to cure some sort of epidemic. The latter is cornered or will soon be cornered by Omega's three major gangs- Blue Suns, Eclipse, and Blood Pack."

"So if we want to get him for this-"

"Exactly. Arkangel has to be a priority. It comes down to if you want one of us doing that while the other is going after Mordin, or if we both get Arkangel first and then Mordin."

"Then...I'd rather we do the latter. I don't know if I can bring myself to let Miranda or Jacob watch my back just yet. And you're vouching for Kasumi, but I don't know that I'm comfortable with her completely either. And the merc just seems untrustworthy."

"Cause lord knows you've never worked with one before."  
"I knew you were going to say that." She said, rolling her eyes. "You weren't really a merc, and it was Anderson who brought you onboard, not me."

"Yeah, but you're the person who decided to push me as a Spectre candidate. Twice."

"That was after you'd warmed my heart with your winning personality."

"And after you tried breaking my arm by punching it several times." I chuckled. "Anyway, we got a couple hours till we get there, so might as well call it quits and get some grub."

"...I'd rather stay here for a little bit longer then."

I sighed. _Now I know how Hero always felt when I pulled this sorta thing. _"Would it help if I brought you the stuff in your cabin instead and then left you alone to 'pig out' or whatever you'd call it?"

She nodded after a moment, looking somewhat relieved.

"Alright, I'll be up there in a few." I teleported into the mess hall from there- or rather to the ceiling of the mess hall, flipping in midair to land on my feet, forcing another crewmember to almost dive out of the way. "Morning Rupert." I said casually.

"Are you ever going to walk in here like a normal person instead of doing that?" He deadpanned as he started putting a plate together.

"Trust me, if you could teleport, you'd be abusing the hell out of it too. Can you get a second plate started too? Biotic portion."  
"So the first one's for Shepard then?" He guessed.

"Yep." I lied, not sure whether Raptor wanted her biotics to be common knowledge. They'd eventually have to be, yeah, but for now it seemed like she was just trying to get over the fact she had them.

_Guess it threw me for a loop when I found though, so I'm not surprised. _

I suddenly heard footsteps coming up behind me, and as I recognized them I let out a quiet curse in prothean. I turned around with my poker face in place.

"Good morning agent Bourne." Kelly said cheerfully.

_Not from where I'm standing. _"Likewise." I grunted.

"What time would you like to schedule-"

"If the words that come out of your mouth 'pysch exam' or any synonyms…"I'm just going to stop listening then and there. I'm very experienced at ignoring people when I want to."

"I noticed. You've been ignoring the emails I sent you."

_No I haven't. They've just been getting marked as spam by my VI. _"Huh. I haven't seen a single one in my inbox."

"Regardless, I think your friend Raptor may also need someone to talk to. I got the sense that she's under a lot of stress."

I sighed and leaned back on the counter, drawing an annoyed grunt from Gardner. I moved slightly so I wasn't in his way and looked at the redhead. "I've noticed that myself. Between the surprise of having biotics now-" _So much for keeping that a secret from Gardner, but then again why would he care? _"-being surrounded by people she trusts about as far as she...could _have _thrown them biotically before, and the whole 'am I still me?' thing…"

"She also seems to be missing her former girlfriend Liara T'soni."

"Word of advice- maybe don't call Liara her girlfriend to her face. She's still kinda...well, the whole 'asari aren't women thing'" I shrugged after a moment. "Why do you think she is though? I've noticed my own signals, but…"

"Well, for one thing, she seems to have subconsciously chosen the a shade of blue that was the same color as her eyes."

My response was to facepalm. "I _knew _there was something familiar about that color! Couldn't place it so I thought I was just being paranoid again...I dunno how subconscious it was though. It was a pretty quick decision- I turned my back, her armor was blue."

"Do you think I should try to talk to her?"

"I appreciate the offer," I said honestly, "but bottom line is she's not going to trust anyone from Cerberus any more than she has to. If things get worse I might need the help, but I'd rather try helping her on my own first. I think she needs someone to talk to more than anything."

"If you think that's for the best."

Gardner cleared his throat, and I grabbed the plates off the counter biotically.

I nodded to Kelly, then teleported with a slight jump.

I knocked on the door, using my biotics to hold a plate and free a hand.

"It's open." She called.

"I know." I said as I stepped through. "No sense in tossing every manner out the window though."

"Who are you and what have you done with the real Jason Bourne?" She commented as I sat the plate in front of her biotically. "Also...is this really how much I need to eat?"

"If you want to be able to actually use the biotics, yeah. Takes a lot of energy." She gave me a slightly annoyed look as I sat down.

"Did you not hear that I wanted to-"

"I heard it, I just ignored it. Nobody _really _wants to eat alone."

"I've been doing that for most of my life." She sighed.

"Would it help if alcohol were involved? Gotta be five o'clock somewhere."

"Why would I want to get drunk right before a mission? Remember how hungover you were on Noveria? And that was the next day instead of a few hours later."

"Your cybernetics are almost as good as my genemods. You can get drunk as hell then be fine in half an hour tops. And it's not like you have to worry about wanting to make out with _this _face."

"Cause it's not blue?"

"...I was thinking more the scars, but yeah, that too."

"You're not _that _horrible looking." She gestured to her own glowing scars. "Besides…"

"Maybe we ought to skip the alcohol then if you're coming on to me this strong while sober." I joked.

"In your dreams."

"More like nightmares." I responded. "Seriously though, you want to put on a movie or something and have breakfast like two nor- like two semi-normal individuals, or would you rather mope in here alone?"

"...What movie did you have in mind? And if you say Vaenia, I will throw your plate in your face."

"I wasn't going to say that." _I decided making that joke was a bad idea on the way up. _"I dunno, there's this one old 21st century vid I've been meaning to see for ages." _For reasons I don't quite fully understand._ "'Back to the Future'. Ever heard of it?"

"No, but what the hell. Put it in."

* * *

Raptor checked her guns as she and Bourne waited for the other two. "So, question."

"Shoot." He replied.

"You said you trust Jacob way more than Miranda, right?"

"You don't feel the same way?"

"I distrust him less, so I guess it's close enough. Point is, if you actually trust him, why have _her _watching our backs?"

He considered his answer for a moment. "Because, while her loyalty is indeed to Cerberus, she wants us to win this thing as much as you or I do, and she knows shooting us in the back is the wrong way to go about doing it...that's the main reason at least. Reason B is that she's far more competent in a fight."

"Ah, you say the nicest things." Raptor jumped as the voice came from directly next to Bourne, Kasumi appearing a moment later.

"Let me balance it out then. I have been aware of your presence since you walked in past Raptor about five minutes ago."

She stuck her tongue out at him.

"By the way, since the second Locust appears to have gone missing, I assume that was you taking possession of it and declining my offer to modify it to the older system?"

"I made a copy of it too, for Miranda. The shuriken isn't exactly known for its power or accuracy."

"Yeah, but wouldn't be bad as a backup for closer range. I mean, it's not like it takes up that much spa-…I'll be damned." He said, gazing behind Shepard.

She turned around and saw Miranda walking towards them...but not in her semi-armored cat suit. It was a much more heavily armored suit in black and orange- though the boots were still elevated.

"Finally got tired of stumbling around the battlefield in heels?" Bourne commented as she got closer.

She rolled her eyes behind her visor.

"I figured it was because she was tired of you staring at her assets all the time." Raptor commented quietly as she walked through the airlock.

Bourne chuckled quietly. "Remember, her eyes are up behind the visor."

"Welcome to Omega, you're new here, aren't…" The Salarian took several steps back as Bourne stepped out from behind Shepard.

"You can leave on your feet, or you can leave the same way you did last time." He growled.

His response was to take off running, darting past a batarian walking towards them.

Raptor kept her hand close to her gun as the batarian approached, despite Bourne's motion to relax.

"Let me guess Moklan, Aria wants the usual assurances from me, and wants to meet my friend here?"

"One Spectre is one thing. Two of them, one of them apparently back from the dead...you know the drill. Afterlife, now." He walked away without another word after that.

"I think I've had my fill of the afterlife for a while." Raptor muttered.

Bourne gave her a look. "Let the record show that I have standards enough I actually wasn't going to make that joke."

"I take it afterlife is her headquarters or something?"

"It's also a club slash bar, but yes. Though she'll probably give us a _little _bit of wiggle room as far as when we get there. Aria is probably the best way to track down our targets though...but I think I found the third one already." He added, looking straight ahead. "You go talk to Zaeed, I've got to go take care of something else real quick."

"Something I should know about?"

He gave her a knowing smirk before teleporting away. "Does he do that a lot now?"

"Yep." "_Yes_." Both other women replied, Kasumi amused, Miranda exasperated.

She walked straight ahead, to where the mercenary was leaning against the wall, watching the crowd. "Zaeed Massani?"

He turned to face her for the first time, and if she hadn't gotten used to Bourne's face, the sight of Zaeed's might've made her take a step back. And even with her eyes, his far more obviously fake eye was disconcerting next to his normal blue one.

"Yeah, that's me. You must be Commander Shepard." He glanced behind her. "So which one of the ladies is Lt. Bourne?"

She ignored that, though she made a mental note to say something about that to Bourne later, knowing he'd probably laugh. "Cerberus briefed you on your mission?"

"Yeah. Apparently we're taking on the Collectors."

"Not a job most mercs would take a job like this for the pay."

"Most mercs don't get an offer like the one your "Illusive Man" sent me."

"And most of them have to worry about getting uglier looking, but I guess _neither _of us have that problem."

She just sighed as she turned to see Bourne standing just to the left of Zaeed. "You know, you might be the most irritating 'ninja' in the universe."

"Most irritating you've met." He chuckled. "Go ahead and get set up on the Normandy- quickly, if you can. I get the feeling your expertise is going to be needed rather soon."

"Right." Zaeed studied him a moment. "I could swear I met you somewhere before."

"Maybe I just have a common type of face." Bourne said with a chuckle. "You ladies- and Miranda- ready to meet her royal highness?"

The cerberus agent glared at him.

"I didn't think this place had any sort of real government." Raptor commented as she followed him towards the club.

"It doesn't really. But...eh, she's got a whole speech about it, I'll let her have her fun explaining it to you. Short version- she's the boss, and basically the one 'law' of omega is don't screw with Aria."

"I think my standards for girlfriends are a little higher than her." She muttered, making him chuckle.

"Just remember-"

"If you say 'her eyes are up there' I will shoot you in the kneecap here and now."

"...I was actually going to say don't go all the way up the stairs until she says you can since her guards tend to take that as a threat."

The bouncer waved them through, and the doors opened to reveal a long hallway. A group of batarians was sitting down nearby, and they glanced at Shepard with hands on weapons. Then they took a second look at her, and then at Bourne, and promptly fled into the club proper.

"Gotta love having a reputation." Bourne commented as the doors opened, though Raptor barely heard it- both because the music was extremely loud, and because there was so...much else for her mind to take in.

"Come on Raptor." He said with amusement as he pulled towards the stairs "You can take in the asari eyecandy later. I'll even loan you some credits if you want to tip them."

She smacked him in the back of the head- or at least tried to, since he just teleported behind her. "Let's just get this over with." She grumbled as she got to the top, stopping at the foot of the stairs leading up to the couch.

An asari, who she assumed was Aria, was sitting down, watching them.

"Lt. Bourne, and Commander Shepard?" One of the batarian guards commented. "Didn't think he was the type to need backup."  
Bourne stepped in front of her, cracking his knuckles. "If you think I need help kicking your asses, I'd be more than happy to prove you wrong."

"Don't bother, he'd just kick your ass _again_." Aria said as the batarian opened his mouth. "Just scan his friend to make sure she's the genuine article."

"You don't trust me?" Bourne said with a chuckle.

"If our positions were switched would you?"

"Oh not a chance in hell." He replied as he sat down.

One of the batarians nearby opened his omni-tool, and started scanning Raptor. "Please tell me this isn't a weapon's scan." She commented.

"Yeah, that's what I said. It's a fancy DNA scanner. Does more than that, of course, but that's the gist of it." Bourne said.

"It's either her, or a clone." The batarian reported as he stepped back.

"So my friend said you run Omega?" Raptor asked as she walked up to sit next to Bourne.

She laughed and stood up, turning to the bar below. "I am Omega."  
"Here we go." Bourne muttered. It sounded odd to her again, but Aria turned back before she could ask him about it.

"I'm the boss, CEO, Queen, whatever you want to call it. It doesn't matter. Omega has no formal government, and only one rule." She sat back down. "Don't fuck with Aria."

"I told you she was out of your league Shepard." Bourne commented, earning a glare from both women.

"So are you just here to make me want to put a bounty on your head again, or did you need something?"

Raptor spoke up before he could dig himself deeper. "We're trying to find someone- two people actually. Mordin Solus, and Archangel."

If she was surprised, the asari barely showed it. "Interesting pair to be after. Last I heard, Mordin was in the slums, trying to cure a plague that's cropped up in there. I've got the area quarantined, but maybe you can talk the guards into letting you in. No guarantee they'd let you back out, of course."

"Plague?"

"I don't know the details. But as far as we can tell, it's hitting pretty much anyone of any species. Could just be exaggerations, but no sense taking chances."

"Or it could be several viruses at once." Miranda commented.

"Maybe. As for Archangel, do you want him dead like everyone else?"

"Not at the moment, no." Bourne answered. "My intel says that the three big gangs are after him, launching a strike as we speak. Blue Suns, Blood Pack and Eclipse, right?"

"Yeah, they're trying to take him down at least. At this point they're hiring freelancers to help wear him down- mostly as sniper fodder." She paused for a moment, as if considering saying more. "There's a recruitment station downstairs. If you want to get to him, that's your best bet."  
Raptor looked at Bourne. "We could split up."

"No question they'd believe _I'm _a merc." He responded. "But, the other two most likely to be accepted as mercs are Zaeed and Kasumi. Miranda or Jacob just don't have the right...rule breaking attitude or appearance. Not to mention the 'armor.'"

"Which'd mean I'd have to have them both watching my back...Mordin's lasted this long, he can wait a bit longer. Whereas archangel doesn't have much time." He stood up. "Let's go get Zaeed and then go talk to the recruiter."

* * *

The merc behind the desk looked up as we walked in, and got a grin on his face. "Well, aren't you sweet."

I saw Raptor tense with irritation.

"Sorry honey, the stripper's quarters are that-" He cut off as she reached over the desk, and hauled him halfway across, pistol to his head.

"Do you want to repeat that?"

I was surprised by her response, but didn't let it show to the merc. "Please don't repeat it. I still haven't gotten all the blood off my armor from the last guy."

He shook his head, fear in all four of his eyes, and she released him, sliding the gun back onto her hip. "This the spot to go after Archangel or not?"

"Maybe you ought to let me do the talking." I commented, stepping past her. _Guess there's a first time for everything._

"This is the place." He confirmed, rubbing his throat. "At least you four look like you can do some damage." He started typing on his terminal. "The standard fee is 500 credits each, you each get paid when the job's done. If you die your friends don't collect your share. You need your own weapons and armor- you've got that covered. And no, this does not make you a member of the Blue Suns, Blood Pack, Eclipse or whatever that other group is. You are a freelancer, period."

"Other group?" I asked.

"Not really even a merc gang, just a group of them wearing the same armor. All signed up at once." He shrugged. "Any other questions?"

"Just tell us where to go." I responded, nonplussed but deciding it probably wasn't important. Reality warping couldn't make every conversation like the game- which was good, because otherwise I'd have gone mad, hearing the exact same thing I had before a good dozen times at least. Not counting the times I'd just skipped past it with X.

"Just head over to the transport nearby. One of our men will take you there."

I nodded and turned to leave as the doors opened- and in stepped the one kid that could be considered more of a dumbass than Conrad Verner. Though he at least was smart enough to take a step back as he saw me.

"Let me give you some advice kid- leave. Before you get hurt."

He gulped audibly. "I know to use a gun- I grew up on Omega."

I looked at Shepard with an expression that translated to 'give me a break' before turning back to him. "Do you even own a gun?"

"Yeah, I just spent ten credits on this thing." He said, pulling it out. It immediately had a knife through it.

"Ah damnit, why do I always miss the hand when I do that?"

He promptly dropped the weapon and ran. I threw a knife that went just past his ear and made him run faster, just to really sell the point. _Pun not intended._

"How did I know you were going to stab the gun?" Raptor commented as we walked out.

"Because it's me." I responded dryly. "Wasn't expecting you to grab the guy like that though. Playing up the Merc thing?"

"Yeah." She said, none too convincingly.

"Just caught me by surprise a little."_Maybe I'm just imagining things, but she seems a little more...renegade since coming back...or it could just be that time of the month, who knows. _"You sure you're good for combat?"

She gave me an almost insulted look.

"I'm just asking, geez. Sorry that as far as I know, this is the first time I've gone on a mission with a person who came back from the dead." I was hit with another of those odd flashbacks, but it faded before I could even blink.

She rolled her eyes.

"I'm just saying, once we go talk to this guy, we're pretty much stuck there, no backing out, just shooting our way out. If you want to take a walk and let me do this…"

"No." She turned to look at me. "Besides, I want to see the look on your face when we talk to him, and you're wrong about it being Garrus."

I smiled slightly. "You mean the usual blank expression?"

"..."

Kasumi chuckled. "Didn't really think that one out, did you Shep?"

"...Shep?" She asked, stopping in her tracks and looking back at the thief.

"She's going to call you that regardless of what you say. Trust me." I said with a chuckle before getting my face back into emotionless mode.

"Hope you're ready." The batarian commented as we got closer. "Archangel's been annihilating you freelancers."

"Do I look like I'm worried?" I responded.

"Get in." He responded, jerking a thumb at the back seat.

**)So, meeting up with Garrus...why do I not look forward to whatever you'll do to make my life miserable?(**

It is called genre-savviness.

* * *

**T117: So, simple reason for why there wasn't an A/N last time...something got screwed up with Google Docs where either it didn't save it, or I accidentally overrode it with an older version that didn't have the A/N. And I was posting it really late since I had an mandatory employ meeting that took ages to get out, so I was tired and didn't notice. And now I just don't feel like even trying to redo it.**

**)Meh, it wasn't that great anyway.(**

**T117:...yeah, it wasn't...the trouble is we can't really debate since you and I are so bloody similar, and I don't know that I want to bring in Hero/Iron for every A/N. Seems like when I bring them in people are either happy to have them or annoyed that I had them so much in the first and hoping I don't in this one.**

**)Yeah, but that's in the story though. A/Ns aren't canon or really anywhere near as important.(**

**T117: Yeah, but there's only so much crazy I can come up with for Iron...screw it, ask the fans. Bring Iron and Hero for the A/Ns just so it's not only Bourne, CTHI and I? Review yay or nay.**

**)And will you listen if they say no?(**

**T117: I might still do it once in a while, just not ****_every _****chapter. And speaking of...well, really I'm just changing the subject. If I didn't mention it before, Spike and I, along with a couple of other authors did a ME3 multiplayer fic called "Tango Squad" that's up on Starspike7's channel. It's a bit different than SaWoF or UiaWoF-**

**)Or what?(**

**T117: But I think if you enjoyed one of those, you'll enjoy that. **

**)Especially since it doesn't have Ty...okay, now why did you want me to type that? I still don't understand the point of doing that.(**

**T117: Just go with it Bourne. Anyway, Spike should have the second chapter not too long after I post this, and there's at least a couple more chapters for that on the way. Until then, or until Monday, Sayonara.**


	15. Fallen Angel

"About time they send me some people that look like that can fight." The driver commented as we arrived. "Did the recruiter fill you in on the plan?"

"Not quite, but…" I looked past him, pretending to scan the area. "Judging by the way the bodies landed, and the barricades are set up, I'm guessing he's holed up at the end of the boulevard over there. Probably got it set up so there's only one way to him- funnel anyone coming his way into scope."

He blinked, all four eyes. "Good eye. For a human. A small team is waiting to infiltrate his hideout from underneath it, but we need to keep his attention."

"And his bullets coming at us." Raptor commented.

"Exactly. You'll be on a distraction team."

"Suicide squad more like." I deadpanned.

"Pretty much, but you look like you can handle it."

My response was to put a domed barrier around the four of us, making him step back.

"Just tell us where to go." I said, letting my biotics fade again.

"Head up to the third boulevard, and talk to sergeant Cathka." He said, pointing. "He'll tell you when to go in. Watch yourself on the boulevard- he's killed dozens of you freelancers already."

"Noted." I said calmly, waiting for him to walk away before turning to the others. "Starting to regret not sitting this one out?"

Raptor ignored me. "Sounds like getting in should be easy- we just go in with the 'suicide squad' and then shoot them in the back."

"Not sure that's what I'd call easy." I said, again a little unnerved at her casual suggestion of violence. Not that it wasn't what we'd have ended up doing anyway, just something about the way she said it seemed a little off to me. "But it's as good a plan as any." I hit my com. "EDI, you see any other ways to get to him?"

"Scanning the area...there are no other viable paths to archangel. But I have detected a heavy mech and gunship. Weakening them before leaving will improve your chances."

"Not that I haven't taken down either one before." I commented, closing the channel again. Though I knew she was still monitoring us.

"Who was that, exactly?" Raptor asked.

"...I thought you'd explored the ship and talked to people?"

"I did. I don't recognize that voice or name though."

I took a step back unconsciously- and her eyes narrowed. "The last time you had this reaction, it was because you were about to tell me you were with Cerberus. What is it this time?"

"...Maybe it ought to wait until we're not in a mission, cause it's just going to piss you off and distract-"

"Who. Was. That?"

"...The Normandy's new Artificial Intelligence."

"...An AI? After all the Geth we dealt with? Not to mention Sovereign himself? Oh, and there was that rogue VI on Luna we dealt with after the battle of the citadel."

"Can we discuss this _later_ please?"

"Oh, we're going to do more than discuss it. But since we're on a time crunch, lead the way."

I walked right past the room with the eclipse, snagging the datapad for Aria almost casually, and then stopped outside a locked door. "EDI?"

"This appears to be the room housing the heavy mech." She responded.

"You want me to get the door, or do you want to take a crack at it?" Kasumi asked me.

"I'll take a shot." I said, raising my hand- Raptor immediately snatched it down.

"That door's too thick for even that 'dreadshot' thing to blast through. The noise would just attract attention anyway."

"...I know. I was putting my hand up so I could use my omni-tool."

"...Oh." She let my arm go. "You can pick locks now?"

"You were able to figure it out marginally well on your own. I had the best thief in the galaxy teaching me, and I've got faster reflexes and reaction time." I looked at the scars on her face. "Well, used to have faster reflexes than you anyway. Your implants probably have closed the gap a bit." I activated my omni-tool and did a quick scan of the door. "Multiple redundant circuits to lock it down if I send the wrong signal. Smart of them I guess, considering what's on the other side."

"How long is it going to take you to open?" Raptor asked me.

"Depends on how much you interrupt me... but the security isn't much different than Cerberus's. So…" I entered a couple of quick commands, and the circuits crossed, burning out the locking mechanism and making it easy to pry open. "Bit of a rushed job, but I'm not worried about _these _guys being able to reuse the door." I jammed it open with a singularity and stepped inside. "That said, Kasumi, you better handle the mech itself."

"I thought you and I had the explosive weapons." Raptor commented as the thief moved past.

"Yeah, we could destroy it, but like you said, the noise would draw attention. If we just screw with it's Friend or Foe detection, we can get it to deal with the mercs for us." I paused and turned to look at her. "Also, she carries flash bangs, and I see a couple incendiaries on Zaeed's belt, so…"

"Then those are just explosives, not explosive weapons."

"...uh-huh."

"That should do it." Kasumi said as she turned back around.

"Be a nasty surprise for the poor bastards." Zaeed chuckled.

"Yeah, I think a knife to the lungs counts as a surprise too. Come on, let's go find that gunship EDI mentioned." Since I knew the way, it didn't take long.

"Sargent Cathka?" I called as we approached the gunship. He looked up as we approached, lighting some sort of alien cigar. I could smell it even from twenty feet away.

"You must be the group Salkie mentioned."

"The driver?"

"Yeah. You four stand out from most of the other mercs around here." He let out a puff of smoke right in my face, and I had to resist the urge to stab him in the throat..._though that'd be quieter than the electric thingy to the back. And a little less...brutal complete overkill...yeah, I'll just use a blade instead of that._

"Any questions? Now might be your last chance."

I waved the smoke away, about to say no, then reconsidered. "The recruiter said something about a fourth merc group. You know anything about that?"

"Not from Omega, but I guess they're just moving in. Or Archangel branched out and hit them too." He shrugged. "Don't think they're working with Tarak or the other bosses- they just signed up all at once."

"How many?"

"What, you trying to figure the competition?"

"Call it professional curiosity."

He shrugged. "I've seen nine at once- might be a few more than that. All black armor, no markings."

"Huh." I said nonchalantly. "Anyway, when do we go?"

"Soon as-" He cut off as the radio blasted a command, and he responded in kind, waving a nearby group over the barricade. "Well, at least that means no more waiting for me. Have to get the gunship flying again before Tarckerkgk!" I pulled my knife out of his throat and spun it quickly to get the blood off it before sticking it back on my shoulder. "That should help take care of the gunship- doubt there's any other mechanics left for it."

"You could've just knocked him out." Kasumi commented.

I gave her a disbelieving look before following the other mercs over the wall.

A couple were already dead from well placed headshots, the rest had their backs to us as they moved forward with guns up.

"Would you like to do the honors?" I asked.

"You go right ahead."

I couldn't help a predatory grin as I charged forward at the closest one, immediately firing the dreadshot at another. A third turned in shock, only for Raptor's sniper rifle to deal with him.

"What the-" "They're with Archangel!"

I teleported to the stairs past them as they reacted, and the few that turned were easy pickings for Zaeed and Raptor's expert sniping. The ones that kept their focus on them, not hearing me, got mines from my scorpion stuck to the back of their heads.

Or in one case, a quick omni-tool powered strike to the back of the head. "Glad I figured out how to keep track of you in all this." I commented as Ms. Goto decloaked. I looked around at the bodies a moment. "We may have a problem." I said to Raptor as she walked up, something having occurred to me.

"What, you think they got to him already?"

"No, it's that other group they mentioned. All black armor, no markings- a while back, when I was first leaving the Citadel with Miranda to head to Lazarus base, we got attacked by a group wearing the same sorta thing. Good too- if I didn't know how to teleport, we'd have been blown out of the sky. They weren't slouches on the ground either. Not the hardest fight I've ever had, but far from the easiest either...they knew what they were doing."

"You think it could be the same people?"

"I don't know, but I'm practically the poster child for stuff that's unlikely happening."

"What, like actually getting laid with that face?"

Zaeed and Kasumi both laughed at that, and even I had to crack a smile.

"Come on- let's go talk to this guy."

He held up a hand as we walked in, and a moment later he fired a single shot. He popped in a fresh heat sink as he turned to us, removing his helmet at the same time.

"Bourne. Never thought I'd see you out here."

"Garrus?" Raptor said in disbelief.

"I rest my case on the unlikely stuff happening thing." I said dryly.

He looked at Shepard, than at me, then back at her. He shrugged his shoulders as his mandibles twitched outwards. "Did I miss something here? I thought Shepard was-"

"Long story." She and I both said at once.

He studied me a moment before he nodded. "Well, you can regale me with all the details later. Why are you two here?"

"We're putting a team together for an impossible mission, and Archangel was on the list." I answered. "Of course, that was before we knew it was you...what the hell, we can at least help you get out of this jam for old time's sakes, even if we have to tell the boss Archangel's a nogo and-"

Raptor cut me off with a smack to the back of the head- though at least she seemed to have dialed it back a little this time since my head just throbbed instead of ringing.

"Long story, like he said." She nodded towards his gun. "Is that a mark 2 silencer scope I see?"

"Actually, it's a mark 3. Upgraded to highlight weak points on a target. Not as good as a mark 4, but hard to buy one of those on a vigilante's salary."

"Gun modded for armor piercing then?"

"Was in the middle of doing that when the attack happened. Still packs a punch though."

I snapped my fingers to get their attention. "Maybe you two can gush over the stupid sniper rifles later? Cause there's three-...Garrus, you know anything about a fourth group of mercs? Black armor, no markings?"

He shrugged. "Saw a few mercs like that walking around, but they were always just barely out of range, or at the wrong angle for me to hit them."

I considered that a moment. "We should see what's going on over there now. They've got to know by now plan A failed."

"So what's plan B?"

"Maybe a strike from underground?" Raptor ventured a guess.

I heard the sound of metal joints moving, and turned to the window, tapping a button on the side of my visor to magnify. "Looks like mechs- probably eclipse."

Garrus raised his rifle to his eye and nodded agreement. "Looks like they're attacking head on for now."

"Well, with five of us…" I pulled out my Assassin. "This shouldn't be too difficult." I turned to Raptor. "You and Zaeed ought to stay up here with him- do some damage, maybe have a headshot competition between the three of you. Kasumi, you stay cloaked and give me backup downstairs- we'll cover their backs in case anyone somehow gets past. Maybe I can pick off a couple myself too."

"Sounds like a plan." Raptor and Garrus said at once.

I smiled and teleported down, cracking my neck and raising my gun. It was a long range, but I was still able to at least hit torsos, and the explosive rounds did a lot of damage. Not that it mattered much- with three expert snipers, heads were exploding left and right.

"No biotics?" Kasumi commented, standing up long enough to overload a mech, finishing it off.

"If they don't know I've got them, they might get sloppy, and I can hit them with them when they least expect it."

"You already used them on the way in though."

I shrugged. "Oh yeah, good point." I saw a group of mechs bunched together and pulled my hand back before thrusting it forward. A blue aura instantly surrounded one of them, and it jumped to the one nearby as Raptor took the first down with a headshot.

"That another new trick of yours?" She asked over the comm.

"Yeah- Dark Channel- hits faster than warp, and jumps to another target if the first one goes down." I tossed a warp field that detonated it, also taking out the third mech. "And it explodes pretty nice too."

"So I can see." She chuckled. The chuckle faded as a Salarian stepped onto the bridge- Jaroth, the eclipse merc boss. After a few moments of his head not exploding, I realized the angle was wrong for the three up top to hit him. A moment later, the Ymir mech was sent in via a crane system of some sort.

"You're sure you hacked that correctly?" I commented to Kasumi as it powered up. It immediately turned towards the mercs coming over the wall after it, and began blowing them to hell.

"Pretty sure, yeah." She said with a smirk.

"Good, we can take a breather then." I actually sat down on the couch nearby, watching the mech go to town, the snipers up top occasionally putting down a merc that got past.

"Does this seem too easy to anyone else?" Garrus asked with a chuckle.

The mech's head suddenly exploded, the rest of it following. "Damnit, what happened?" Zaeed swore.

I didn't know why, but I suddenly had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach, and I was on my feet instantly, gun in hand as I zoomed in the visor. For a brief moment, I saw someone else on top of the barricades, their back to me as they stepped down before they could be fired on. The glimpse was enough to tell it was one of that fourth group everyone kept mentioning- though it was too soon to tell if it was the same group as from the Citadel months before.

"We got more mercs inbound." I said, switching for my scorpion and firing a trio of the mines at the top of the barricade. They went off right as mercs were vaulting over, sending them to the ground and making them easy targets.

I smiled, and drew my hand back like I was pitching a baseball. I lobbed the Flare right into the chest of the one on point, and... it did the job rather well.

There was one last shot from Garrus to pick off the lucky one, then silence. "I think they're regrouping- we should reload while we've got a break."

"Anyone else see that fourth guy on top of the barricade after the mech went down?" I asked, gathering a few thermal clips to give to the others as I walked upstairs.

"No." "Negative." "I didn't see a goddamn thing."

I looked at Garrus as I walked in, tossing him a thermal clip he caught out of the air. "You good on clips?" He asked me.

"Kept mine on the old system- or modified them back to that."  
"I heard he had a good poker face, but didn't know it was this good." Zaeed chuckled as he reloaded.

"Seriously?" I threw my hands in the air. "For crying out loud, even if thermal clips have more power or let you fire faster or whatever, wouldn't you at least want a backup on the old system so you can still fight when you run out?"

"Why do you worry about that though? You can always fall back to biotics." Raptor commented.

Garrus chuckled. "I think the problem is that we generally hit what we're aiming at, so we don't waste our shots. Bourne, on the other hand-"

I grabbed a thermal clip from off the table, hurled it out the window and in the same motion raised my assassin and shot it from the air above the barricades.I was pretty sure the way his mandibles spread open was the equivalent of a dropped jaw for humans.

"You were saying?" I asked sardonically, storing the gun.

"...Anyway-" He raised his gun again, and I zoomed in as well with my visor. "Looks like they're reinforcing the other side- heavily." I noticed something and shifted my gaze, increasing the zoom.

"Did you guys hit any mercs that weren't over the barricades yet?"

"I told them to wait until they were over them." Raptor answered. "Didn't want anyone wasting a shot."

I focused in on a group of the bodies. "Something isn't right- those don't look like bullet wounds. A lot look like...almost like blunt force inflicted injuries...that guy's head got turned into chunky salsa... And more are just plain sliced apart."

I zoomed back to normal, and saw Raptor examining them through her scope. "It could be explosives for the first, maybe a sniper shot for 'salsa guy'. Others could be an SMG at close range. No way it was us or the mech though."

"Friendly fire maybe? The less of them that survive, the less that the gangs have to pay." I suggested, though I doubted it.

"Or could be gang on gangs. I reckon they couldn't have been too happy, teaming up." Zaeed added.

I looked at the ground, wondering why we'd yet to feel the bombs below from the Blood Pack. _I gotta a bad feeling about- _I suddenly heard something from outside the side windows, and tackled Raptor to the ground an instant before the gunship opened fire.

It stopped firing after a few moments and I looked up to see that Kasumi and Zaeed had gotten to cover. Garrus, on the other hand, was now in the middle of the floor, blood pooling from his injured face. His mandible wasn't even attached now- it was gone, worse than Saren's injuries had been.

"Looks like he's seen better days."

I looked up right in time to see a boot hit me in the face, biotically. I was knocked out the window onto the bridge- killing ground with the gunship in the air. I saw it overhead, and reacted on instinct as I saw its lights shine directly onto me.

I fired the dreadshot at the barricades, full power. I went flying into the base an instant before something from upstairs jumped down directly where my chest would've been, hard enough to dent the bridge. It took me a minute to realize it was one of the black clad mercs- apparently possessing the same boot that'd kicked me out to start with.

"Jason, you alright?" Raptor's voice came over the comm.

"Fine- what happened to Garrus?"

"I don't know, there's a lot of blood. It's bad, but I can't tell how-"

"EDI, get the shuttle in the air for a pickup, tell Chakwas to be ready for us. ASAP."

I saw the gunship fly over the bridge, and a pair of grenades hit it, followed by several fired at high speeds from the window.

I aimed the dreadshot at the ground as I jumped, and was launched onto the top of it, mag boots locking me in place. Biotics flared around my hands as I drove them through the closer wing, and ripped them apart, tearing it clean off. It started to spin, and I jumped clear, rolling in midair and teleporting into the base behind cover.

The destroyed ship crashed inches behind the merc, who just watched me calmly, not even flinching as far as I could tell. A featureless black helmet hid his features- it was all one solid piece of material, either polarized or covered in micro cameras so he could still see. He didn't seem to be carrying any weapons, but he nonetheless didn't seem worried as he looked at me. "Nice symbol there." He said, tapping his chest. "We've been thinking of getting something to match- maybe an emerald alpha."

I raised my assassin and fired at him, but he just raised his hand and put up a domed biotic barrier of his own that absorbed the fire. I went for my assault rifle, figuring it'd better for the job, only for my hand to close around empty air. A similar attempt showed my shotgun was missing too. I suddenly spotted them where I'd landed, as he picked them up and weighed them in his hands a moment before storing them. "Thanks for the souvenirs."

"Why don't you come a little closer- I'll give you a scar to match them!"

"Like the ones your friend Saren inflicted on your face?" Something about the way he said Saren's name seemed to almost...call it into question. "I have to admit though Bourne- I wasn't expecting you to survive this."

"If you know who I am, you know what happens to people who attack me."

He laughed, the last reaction I'd expected "Oh lighten up a little- I just saved you the trouble of having to fight through all those blood pack mercs to close the shutters. Or deal with the mercs in addition to the gunship." He paused and looked over his shoulder. "Granted, the gunship was supposed to kill you." He looked back at me. "Noticed you just stabbed Cathka instead of using the electric thing. Going soft?"

_Electric thing? How'd he know-_

"No, no, if you were going soft, you wouldn't have survived that. Even with one third the power, you're still a force to be reckoned with."

_...One...Third? _I felt a chill run down my spine, though I didn't show it. "Who are you?"

"Yes, I think an emerald alpha would be most fitting. You started this whole mess, yet you wear the symbol of the end...and me, I'm the beginning of your end."

"...That is the worse logic for- just say you want to be the opposite of me or something and leave it at that."

He shrugged, obviously not caring. "So, how shall we do this? That shuttle's on the way to evacuate your friend, and it must have guns. So do we fight first, or do I simply leave now so I'm not blown to bits?"

I lowered my voice as I hit the comm. "Raptor-"

"I was listening. Any idea who-"

"Not a clue. Keep Garrus alive- I'm going to beat some answers-" I charged him mid sentence, catching him by surprise and sending him flying back into the wreckage.

He pushed himself forward and landed on his feet, activating his omni-tool. I fought the urge to swear as it caused his armor to glow and shift. "You know, I don't think either of us like batarians as a culture, but they have had some good ideas." He said as the blade armor finished forming. I had a hunch, and charged backwards as he punched forward, enforcement gauntlet around his hand. "Or the vorcha- I know you liked that class too." He raised his hand, activating a damn flamethrower I barely managed to teleport away from.

"Oh, and I gotta say, the irony of ending up a vanguard? Sentinels or Soldier were your most used. Least you didn't end up an infiltrator though- could never hit crap without the time dilation." He laughed again. "Oh, am I making you nervous? You've worked pretty hard to keep all this a secret after all." I thought he was glancing up, though the movement of his head was slight. "Don't worry, by this point your luck ought to mean they're too busy with your friend Garrus to pay attention to us."

I had the feeling he was right, but didn't risk it and reply. _I don't know who this guy is- but either he's on a random string of luck, or he's...no, there's no way._

"Sorry, did you have a reply? I can't hear you from there- why don't you come a little closer and say it again?"

_Yeah, right, like I'm going to to charge a rip off of Shredder, add flamethrowers. He's prepared for me- I can't get up close. Doesn't mean he knows all my tricks though._

I stood up and hit him with a Dark Channel. He glanced down, as if confused or amused, then back at me. "This armor's tough Bourne. A little warp field won't do-" I cut him off by tossing a Flare at him too- the amplified explosion sent him flying, and left me almost panting at the sudden drop in energy.

When he stood back up, his armor barely looked scratched. But I saw him bending over slightly, and favoring his right leg, and knew he wasn't quite as tough as his armor.

I fired my scorpion with one hand and my assassin from the other, but he just put up another domed barrier.

"Who are you?" I hissed, even though I knew he couldn't hear me from there.

"An old friend." He responded, just loud enough for me to hear at that distance. "Or did you think you were the only one Saren experimented on?"

I tried to think of a reply, but couldn't. Surprise drove ideas from my mind.

"You're just the only one that escaped." He took a couple steps towards the side of the bridge. "You caught me by surprise, and I don't like those." He stopped just on the edge, eyes still locked with me behind that expressionless helmet. "So go get him back to the Normandy, and get the professor- I'll be regrouping. You won't have to worry about _me _until later."

"What makes you think I'm worried about you?"

He laughed. "Please. I know how you think. I'm your worst fear- even more so than the guy that _really _gave you those scars. I'm you if you went down a darker path."

"Then why not come back into the light?"

"It hurts my eyes." He deadpanned. "But just cause you've impressed me, I'll give you a little hint of something to go on."

"A sample of your blood?"

"A name." He shrugged. "They didn't want us having them, but since you got out and started causing havoc as Jason Bourne...you can call me...Wilson. Slade Wilson." He took another step back, and plummeted off the bridge. I charged to where he'd been, and saw him landing on an aircar below, sliding into the passenger seat as it flew off.

I heard the sound of the shuttle approaching, but didn't look up as it hovered outside the window. I heard Raptor and Zaeed helping move Garrus, but still didn't look up.

_There's someone else like me. Maybe more._

_Which means things just got even more complicated._

I glanced down at the datapad I'd gotten from the mercs, the one talking about overthrowing Aria afterwards. I could have her look into this guy- the group in general. I knew the name probably wouldn't help- it'd just come up with a hundred references to comics, or video games with "Slade Wilson", AKA Deathstroke.

_But it's a start. I don't know who this guy was, but he had one thing right. I started all of this...so I'll have to finish it._

* * *

**(So, reviews on this one'll be...interesting.)**

**)Why did you let them back in again?(**

**(So the reviews stop sucking so many balls.)**

**T117:...Yeah, pretty much.**

***Doesn't having Iron mean that there will be more balls being sucked though?***

**)Hah, nice one.(**

**(Did you agree to have me here so you could make fun of me, inflict violence on me, and have CTHI log me off?)**

**)Yep.( *Duh.***

**T117: It's almost like you've met me or something.**

**(So, since you forgot to ask for questions, so what sorta crap do you idiots want to talk about?)**

**T117: College starts up on Wednesday and I'm not looking forward to it...or mostly I'm worried about not having time to write/game/whatever**

***Can't be worse than working on your senior project, Eagle Scout, and Wrestling all at once.***

**T117: Here's hoping...but it's why I'm glad I've got a backlog going so if I really end up not having time I can cut back and hopefully...well, at this point I'm just going to play it by ear.**

**(What about ANS?)  
T117:...I have no fucking clue.**

**)Well, as long as you don't start over ****_again_****(**

**T117: Hey- writing one fic at a time is hard enough. Doing two? Especially since one you have to literally plan out like everything, and the other you have to look up stuff for all the time on youtube?**

**(Ooo, hit a nerve there Bourne.)**

**)I noticed.(**

**T117: Plus if Spike and I do that other fic we're talking about...more on that later though.**

**)So let me get this straight: you just said how hard writing-(**

**T117: Coauthored fics don't count/aren't as difficult to write because it's not just one person doing all the work...hell, just the A/Ns are easier to write with Spike than when it's a solo act.**

**(Whatever. We done here or **Crazey Metal has been logged out.

**)I'll take that a yes. I'm outta here.(**

***I should go.***

Farewell.

**T117: Sayonara.**


	16. The Smart Guy

"So did you know it was Garrus, or was this just coincidence?" Bourne asked Miranda as she walked up behind him, not taking his eyes off the windows of the medbay. They were polarized now, but she'd gotten a glimpse of "Archangel" on the security cams as he was rushed in.

"I was fairly confident it was him." She answered after a moment, sitting down next to him. "I'm surprised you're here though."

He glanced her way, question in his eyes.

"Our reports said you and Vakarian weren't close."

"Hmph. No, not so much- doesn't mean I'm not glad to have him at my back though." He said, looking back. "Shepard's in there with him now- hopefully that means he ought to be up and about before long. Gives the two of them a chance to talk, and hopefully to prove to Garrus that it's really her."

Miranda was silent a moment. "So who was this...Slade Wilson?"

"I don't know." He answered, and it sounded genuine. "Did you guys manage to tap my visor after all?"

"No, but EDI was able to clean up the sound from your earpiece, as well as Shepard's."

He smiled slightly. "How much of it?"

"...Not all of it." She admitted.

"Figured as much." He said with a shrug. "I teleported out of the shuttle on the way, asked Aria to look into it. She owed me a favor. And now another, but I'll call that in later." He paused, then looked at her again. "Did you ever look into that group of mercs that attacked us on the Citadel? About six weeks after the Normandy was destroyed?"

She pursed her lips. "Not in detail. I was focused on Shepard."

"So no leads then. But I'm pretty sure it's the same group." He put his hands under his chin as he leaned forward. "Name's an alias, no markings on the armor...he had tech that's _kinda _rare, but common enough I doubt that'd be much of a lead. Might've taken it off the Blue Suns or Blood pack corpses there for all I know."

"What makes you think the name is an alias?"

"For one, it'd be a pretty dumbass move to give me his real one." Miranda had to admit he had a point. "Secondly, Slade Wilson was a DC comic's character from the 21st century. Codenamed Deathstroke."

"..."

"Whoever he was...he knew a couple things about me that very few people did-or at least hinted at them. He'd be the only other living person I know of with that info if he wasn't just shooting in the dark and getting lucky. And he was skilled, or at least prepared. Took out the Blood Pack and the Blue Suns just so he could get a shot at me himself." He scratched his chin, thinking

"Do you know anything else about him?"

"He can kick really hard, but not as much so as Raptor. Has at least limited biotic abilities...maybe has cybernetics and or genemods like mine. Could be missing an eye based on the name, but I didn't see anything that'd make me think it's true." He shook his head. "Kasumi, you got any ryncol in that bar?"

The thief appeared next to Miranda with a pout. "How do you always know when I'm there?"

"I planted a tracker in your hood."

She was still a moment, trying to decide if he was kidding, before her hands shot to her head, searching every inch of it.

He cracked a smile as he stood up. "Please, like I'd be that obvious...but seriously, is there ryncol? Cause I want a drink, and it's a safe bet Raptor will."

"You're not the one that was having to help hold Archangel's face together."

"No, I was the one that a maniac was trying to set on fire." He responded, walking towards the lounge. "So how's about we all get-"

"We need Mordin as soon as possible so he can begin working on a counter measure for the seeker swarms." Miranda pointed out.

"None of us is in the right mindset for another mission today."

"And if you wake up tomorrow and find out that he was killed by the plague or mercenaries?"

He paused, and sighed before turning back. "Yeah, guess you have a point."

"Your psych reports indicated you often went to the shooting range when you were stressed anyway. No sense wasting ammo."

"Yeah yeah." He nodded towards the medbay. "When Raptor's out of there, let her know I'm ready if she is. If not, I'll come pick a squad up and I'll handle it. In the meantime...I just lost my SPECTRE weapons, so I'm going to see what I can find on Omega."

"You sure you want to go alone?" Kasumi asked. "If flamethrower guy is there-"

"Slade won't be there. I took him by surprise- he wants to be sure he's ready for me."

"You don't know anything about him." Miranda said irritably.

"He told me enough to know we're cut from the same cloth. _I_ wouldn't take any chances with me." He was gone without another word.

"Why did he even ask about speeding up the elevator if he just teleports and never uses it?" Kasumi mused, before cloaking and disappearing.

"...That's a good question actually." Miranda muttered before heading to her cabin to finish her report.

* * *

I was a little miffed as I waited outside the airlock for Shepard and the others. Three hours, and the one weapon I'd managed to find was a Blood Pack Executioner Pistol. And I'd taken that off a fresh corpse in an alley. _Lot lighter than a shotgun though. Might not bother modifying this for the old system though- if a single shot fills a heatsink, letting it cool down on its own could take ages._

_Don't really need an assault rifle since I have an SMG. Not as good against armor, but I've got biotics for that…_

"Find anything?" Raptor asked as the airlock finally opened.

I held up the pistol in question. "Just this."

"Kinda figured. Luckily, we just got a shipment from our *friend* Timmy." She said, tossing me a gun. I caught it out of the air, and grinned.

_Geth Plasma Shotgun. Always did like this thing. _I looked and saw she was packing one as well. "Guess I shouldn't be surprised _you're _using a shotgun meant for range."

"It works up close too...I did a little testing with it on the shooting range."

"And you didn't invite me?" I said in a mock-hurt tone. I suddenly noticed the gun on her hip, and smirked. "Seriously?"

"What?"

"I recognize that model of pistol- It's a Phalanx. Are you telling me _you _need a laser sight?"

"It has more punch than the Predator I was using. Not all of us have guns that make things explode."

"Yeah, we really ought to head for the Citadel when we get the chance- I have some contacts there that can get us some _seriously _good guns."

"When we have time." She said somewhat noncommittally. "Anyway, let's get going." I glanced behind us to see Kasumi and Zaeed following.

"So how's Garrus holding up?" I asked, for a change of subject.

"Well, the good news is that they managed to more or less restore full functionality to his face, and he'll be up and about in no time. The bad news is that despite that, he's still not the ugliest person on the Normandy."

"I know, Zaeed is just going to be impossible to beat with that." I chuckled.

"Wiseass." He muttered from behind me.

"Come on- the quarantine zone's not far."

"You talk to the guards?" She asked me.

"No, just scoped it out. Figured we might as well try the nice way before we try my way."

"What, you mean talk them into it?"

"Worth a shot."

She shook her head. "Jason, I've been shot at with a machine gun, watched my friend get shot with a machine gun, watched you almost get set on fire- if you want to go straight to threatening, be my guest."

I stopped, putting a hand on her shoulder to stop her too, and turn her to face me.

"What?" She asked, slapping my hand away.

"Raptor, you've been more punch happy than usual ever since you woke up. And a lot less willing to talk."

"You're talking to me about-"

"Yeah, I am." I cut her off. "Even if it's a better solution, which it sometimes is, it's not _your _solution."

"You think you know me so well, huh?"

"I thought I did."

"Guess we both found out today the other's kept secrets. This- Wade Wilson guy-"

"Slade Wilson." _Wade is someone else entirely._

"Whatever. Point is-"

"Point is, I don't know a goddamn thing about him. I can maybe- _maybe- _guess a few things about him, but until today I didn't know he existed."

"Do you need us to like, take a walk while you figure this out?" Kasumi asked, and I noticed she'd backed away several feet.

She ignored her. "The point is-"

"Raptor, you were willing to get yourself blown up to save my ass- I'd have done the same a hundred times over. It's called being able to depend on someone...at least, I think it is. The list of people I feel I can depend on is rather short."

"And why should I depend on you?" She shot harshly. It looked like she regretted the words a moment later, but I answered them anyway.

"You always have been able to." I said quietly. "I was with you all the way back to the beacon- and even before that."

"I also recall a knife being planted in Tali's gut, and one nearly being planted in mine."

I kept my poker face in place, with some difficulty. "I know. I also recall you being forced to wipe out most of the base on Noveria. I recall having to kill your girlfriend's mother because it was the only solution. I recall sacrificing more human lives than I could count to save the Council. And I recall stopping you from being crushed by debris- waking up in a hospital you broke your way into to find me." I closed my eyes for a long moment before looking at her again. "You've always had a choice- let me watch your back, or say the words and watch me leave."

"Seriously, we can go shopping or something if-" I cut Kasumi off mid sentence with a stasis field.

She looked at the ground. "You're right...it's just…"

"You don't have to explain. Or if you do, it can wait until after we do this. Take out the frustrations on the mercs or something."

"Right." She nodded.

I glanced back at Kasumi, who was glaring at me from inside the stasis field.

"What're you looking at?" I quipped as I let her out.

"Someone who can hack your security system to keep you out of your own room."

"I can teleport past the door you know...or failing that, I can probably hack it open, or just blow it open with my biotics...Remind me to show you how to do that." I commented to Shepard. "Hopefully we can teach you a thing or two about tech, but it'd also be nice if you could break the things open yourself instead of always needing me to help you."

Neither woman dignified that with a reply.

* * *

"See? Doesn't it feel good to talk a guy into something without me needing to threaten to beat him to death with his own skull?"

"I don't think that's even physically possible." Raptor responded.

I cracked a grin, barely able to stop myself from laughing at her unintentional joke. But as we moved deeper into the quarantine zone, the grin faded. I didn't know about the others, but with my enhanced senses, I could already smell the burning bodies.

"Here's hoping humans really are immune to the plague." Zaeed commented as we got close enough that they were in sight.

A bullet suddenly whizzed by my head, and I charged in that direction on instinct; I didn't hit the guy that'd fired, but his buddy went flying into the far wall. The shooter started to turn my way before I sent him flying against a wall with a lash to the face. "Blue suns- guess Slade couldn't have killed every one of them on Omega."

Raptor suddenly raised her rifle and fired a shot that went over my shoulder.

"Missed one?" I asked, glancing behind me. A moment later I saw it wasn't a merc at all- it was just a Batarian victim, gun still in hand, smoking hole in the middle of his forehead.

I grimaced. _Poor bastard was just trying to defend himself…Can't help him now though._

I glanced at his Carnifex a moment before moving on. Even if I didn't know Mordin would give us another just like it, I didn't like the idea of stealing from a corpse... Not an innocent one at least..

I held a hand up as I saw movement on my motion tracker, and motioned for the others to stay put. I moved ahead silently, sticking to cover and getting behind the blue suns mercs guarding the area.

I tossed a Flare just behind the three on the barricade-enough to drop their shields, but not kill them outright without a fight. One of them turned my way and was the first victim of my newest pistol, the other two were felled from headshots from the two Snipers.

I rolled to cover as the other three found my position and opened fire, popping a new thermal clip into the gun before storing it and grabbing my Locust instead.

I popped up and fired off a burst, blowing the head clean off one of them. The other two got a pair of pull orbs that lifted them into the air, then a pair of throw orbs that detonated the explosion and sent them into oblivion.

I carefully came up over the barricade and waved the others forward. _So, by my rough estimates, that just leaves way too many more of these idiots to kill._

Instead, we somehow managed to avoid any other major fights as we made our way to the clinic. There were a few Vorcha crawling around, but not nearly the level of resistance in the game.

It wasn't something I resented per say, but it got me on edge. It meant something was off- whether it was good karma for before or something else was causing it.

_Or someone else. Slade could've been here- though why he'd help me out I can't think of a reason._

_Could just be I'm jumping at shadows. _I tried to believe that as we approached Mordin. _Yeah, I'm just feeling superstitious cause I'm looking at someone that's going to end up dead regardless of what I or Shepard do._

_Wow, that did _nothing _to help my mood...damnit, now I'm going to be thinking the same thing when I meet Legion. And Thane, except with weird 'chick in my head romanced you in a different universe' vibes in his case…_

_Well, I distracted myself from the missing mercs. Kinda wish I hadn't now. Ugh._

"Professor Mordin Solus?" Shepard asked as we approached him.

_And I'm betting I'm going to wish I had Tylonal in a second, knowing how he talks...wait, this is a hospital, so...so I'd need like ten times the dose for it to do anything anyway. Damnit!_

"Humans. Don't recognize you from area. Too well armed to be refugees. Armor not matching- not mercenaries. Quarantine still in effect." He walked over to a console nearby, still talking to himself. "Here for Vorcha? No, Vorcha symptom, not cause. Plague? Investigating possible use as bioweapon? No, too many guns, not enough data equipment."

_Okay, stay calm, don't take the renegade inter- fuck it. _"For the love of god, take a breath will you?"

Raptor glared at me, but I continued regardless.

"We're here because we need your help."

"My help? Help with-"

I cut him off before he could continue. "The Collectors are abducting human colonies. Intel says you're our best chance at figuring out how to stop the machines they use."

"Collectors? Interesting. Plague hitting these slums is engineered. Collectors one of few groups with technology to to design it." He paused. "Who sent you?"

Raptor spoke before I could. "They're a covert and privately funded human group."  
"Cerberus."

She glared at me again.

"What? He'd figure it out sooner or later anyway- might as well be upfront about it."

"Yeah, because look how well that turned out with me." She deadpanned.

"Cerberus? Unexpected. Thought they only worked with Humans."

"Most of the time, yes. This is a...unique mission and crew." She answered.

He walked back over to the console. "Goals may be similar. But first, need to stop plague-"

I cut him off. "Do you have a cure for it by chance?"

"Yes. Need to distribute it at environmental control center. Vorcha guarding it last time someone checked- need to kill them."

"I think we can handle that." She and I said at once.

I glanced up at the ceiling...but the fans didn't shut off.

"One more thing, my assistant, Daniel. Went into Vorcha territory. Looking for Victims...Hasn't come back."

"We'll keep an eye out for-" I heard footsteps behind me and cut myself off as I turned, sliding a knife into hand on instinct.

"Daniel. Didn't expect you to get back alone." Mordin said as the man stepped into view.

_Uh...what._

"I had some help." He admitted.

"Who from?" I asked, though I had a feeling it was-

"I didn't ask his name. Looked like a merc or something."

"All black armor, no markings?"

"Uh...yeah. How'd you know?"

"Lucky guess." I deadpanned, looking at Raptor. "We should head for the environmental plant." I said, already moving.

She had to rush to catch to me by the time I was out of the clinic. "You think it could be the same guy?"

"Same group at least- we know he had help."

"Why would they have helped that guy though?" Kasumi wondered aloud. "They didn't seem like a particularly friendly group."

_No, they didn't...damnit, I can adapt to this stuff, but actually knowing what's going on would be way better._

_...I get the feeling I may end up regretting those words. _

"I got a bad feeling about this." I muttered as we continued on.

* * *

I kept my eyes peeled as we entered the area. The only Vorcha were corpses, but there was no sign of Slade, or anyone else. Motion tracker was clean too.

But my instincts were telling me to stay alert.

"Alright, Zaeed, you and I will get the south fan-"

"We only have one vial of the cure." I cut her off. "Might as well stick in a group of four." _And numbers are better anyway. I get the feeling we're walking right into-_

"I was beginning to think you'd gotten lost on the way." I spun around to face the voice. _-a trap. Yeah, sometimes I hate being right._

It wasn't Slade, I could tell that much from the voice, but the armor was nigh-impossible to see a difference in save for the build. He was slightly shorter, and a lot skinnier- though he didn't have blade armor active…

"Is that a Katana?" I asked in disbelief.

"Yep." He motioned to the four behind him, and they spread into a semi circle. Their armor looked a lot less durable and they each carried a shotgun. _And their faceplates aren't sealed.  
_ I threw a knife from each hand, then quickly grabbed a third and fourth to throw. He looked at the dropping bodies and shrugged. "Meh, they were more for show anyway."

"Get the cure into the fans." I muttered to Raptor and the others.

"You sure you want to take him alone?" She muttered back.

"No. So hurry up so you can help me with this guy."

She moved from behind me towards the fans slowly, but his gaze never left me.

"So, you got a name? Deathstroke's already taken, but maybe with the sword-"

"Yeah, bastard beat me to that." He said with a shrug, spinning the sword around his hand. "Call me-Isaac." His free hand shot up, and my barrier dropped as electricity shot from his omni-tool to me.

"You know, like the guy from Deadspace? Cause I'm an engineer?"

I responded by charging into him, then slamming my hand into his chest as I fired the Dreadshot full force. We both went flying back, but I was able to land on my feet. He landed flat on his ass, his sword ending up between his legs mere inches away from turning him into a eunuch.

I drew my shoulder knives and spun them between my fingers as I watched him stand back up. "And I named myself thusly because I'm a highly trained killer. You really think you can match me?"

He grabbed his sword out of the ground and held it in both hands in front of him. "Match you? I surpassed you long ago."

"Uh huh." Slade had seemed...not cowardly but at least cautious. He was smart enough to respect my ability. This "Isaac" guy seemed like he was begging me to kill him…

I opened an overlay display, and zoomed in on the sword. The small screen at the the corner of my vision confirmed my thought, and I looked back at him directly as I put the knives back; them against his sword would be idiotic. "Sword's modified for electric attacks. Clever."

He shrugged, then spun and slashed it in an upwards slice, causing electricity to pulse towards me. I teleported neatly out of the way. "So, are you going to actually start trying to kill me here, or is this supposed to be a comedy show?"

He slashed at me again, and this time I reappeared behind him, blasting him point blank in the small of the back. I'd dialed down the gauntlet's power, but it still sent him flying.

"Too bad I killed your backup already." I taunted. I felt a zap in the small of my back- my resistance to electricity was all that kept me on my feet, and I spun around to see a drone flickering away. I instantly felt another zap behind me, and spun around to see it flickering again. I teleported again, and saw another drone where I'd been. It spun to face me, and I put up a domed barrier as the damn thing started firing rockets at me.

Then it flickered away and another one appeared inside my shields. I swatted it biotically, and it exploded, sending me flying out of the barrier.

"Who needs backup now?" Isaac taunted.

We both saw something flying at him from the side at the same time, but neither of us could react before he was engulfed in flames.

"I dunno, you tell me, you deluded jackass." Zaeed said, getting ready to toss another grenade.

I was faster, and charged right at the engineer, causing a fire explosion. I dodged back as the second grenade hit, and let loose with a Nova to set that off as well.

"Oww." He moaned, a heap on the ground now. His armor was actually mostly intact, but cracks had appeared on the helmet.

"Get the cure into the other side." I said, walking over to the fallen foe. "I'm going to ask our friend here a few questions." I used my biotics to pull his sword to me, and snap it in half over my knee, tossing the remains to the side. "And by ask, I mean torture him until he tells me what I want to know."

He looked up at me and scrambled back, into a wall.

"Let's see what's under that helmet." I said, grabbing it with both hands. It was damaged enough I was able to yank it off.

It fell from numb hands as I looked at his face.

One of his brown eyes was blackened, and his short black hair was a mess. Tanned brown skin was covered by a pair of mutton chops that went down to the side of his mouth. His lip was split, but he smiled mockingly as he looked at me. "What's the matter? You look like you've seen a ghost, _Jason._"

I...I couldn't place a name to his face, but I knew it. "You...you're…"

"You didn't really believe Slade without proof. I knew you wouldn't. You always were a skeptic."

"Who...Who are-"

"Do you want to know who I am, or are you wondering who you really were?"

Images flashed before my mind- he and I on my couch, me swearing at him as he sniped me from across Sandtrap, him swearing at me as I stuck him. Both of us yawning at our math teacher. His boredom at my Wrestling meet, my boredom at his basketball game.

The images were cut short as pain shot through my torso. I looked down to see his omni-tool active. _So- Hephaestus was more wrong than I thought. Omni-tazer._

He pulled his hand away as he shoved me back, and my hand went to my stomach. There was no sign of damage to the armor, but I could feel my guts shifting around the wrong way.

He reached behind his back and suddenly had a new sword- I didn't know how, I was just trying to not pass out between shock and sudden pain.

"You don't care about us in the slightest anymore, do you. You have no idea who I am, and you're glad. You wouldn't know Slade if he were unmasked, and you sure as hell wouldn't recognize her."

He shook his head as he raised the sword. "I'm just glad it's me that's going to kill you."

The blade suddenly exploded in his hands, and another sniper shot tore clean through his earlobe.

He was knocked back on his ass, but rolled to his feet quickly, running in a crouch and making it impossible for the others to get a bead on him. He ducked behind cover, but I could see enough of him to see him activate a cloaking field. Unlike with Kasumi, I couldn't tell where he was at all.

"You win this time! But next time, we'll all be there! And you can't beat all of us!" His voice faded as he obviously ran. I managed to sit, up, and winced as I did.

"Oww." I said, unable to think of anything else.

"Are you alright?" Raptor asked as she rushed over.

"Some sort of...electric omni-tool weapon. Stabbed me with it through the armor." I winced again and pressed my hand to my stomach. "Can't tell how bad it is- but it's not good."

"Can you walk?"

"Unless you're offering to carry me." I said as I stood up. She had to catch me as I fell.

"At least you've lost weight." She joked as she supported me.

"Yeah, yeah, you're freaky strong now." I said through halfgrit teeth. "Can we just get back to Mordin?"

"Yeah, guess he's closer than the Normandy." She said as we started walking.

If she had questions about "Isaac" she kept them to herself.

Lord knew I had questions. But at that point in time, I couldn't really process anything about him enough to even guess at them, or even form them.

It all boiled down to "how?" And a few "Why?"

* * *

**)What is this I don't even-(**

**(Okay, so gotta address something here: Someone said they thought Slade might be me...WTF?)**

***And if someone says they think I'm Isaac, they're getting a singularity where they don't want it.***

**T117: Someone also said something about- I'm just going to say this and leave it there: I've gotten 20 chapters written past this one. Odds are, your suggestions aren't going to do much...unless I catch up with my backlog, which may or may not happen. But if it did happen, that'd still be a long ways away.**

**(Well, you didn't get that last chapter done very quick.)**

**T117: I also had other things going on. It might get easier once I've got more of a schedule down. **

**(Keep telling yourself that.)**

**T117: I said **_**might **_**didn't I? Worse thing that'll happen is chapters will be uploaded...at most, it'd probably take me like two weeks to write one chapter. And that's if I got really stuck/lazy. **

**)So in other words, that might happen.(**

**T117: Yes! It is a possibility, and if it happens the world will continue to spin on so it's not the end of the world if it does happen!**

**(Ooo, sounds like we hit a nerve.)**

**T117: And proved my point about you being able to piss me off somehow.**

**(Whatever. We done here then?)**

**)Yeah, I'd say so. I'm outta here(**

**(Later suckers.)**

***I should go.***

**T117: Sayonara.**


	17. Breaking the Law and Other Things Too

"Patient appears stable. Should wake up-"

I groaned, cutting off Mordin's voice, and my eyes slowly opened to reveal the Normandy's medbay.

"If there's one piece of advice I can give you about treating him, never try to predict how long he'll be out." Chakwas said as she walked over to me.

I didn't even try to sit up- things were still sore across my stomach. "Moved me while I was out cold?" I asked.

"Yes. Clinic had medicine and equipment to stabilize you- needed equipment here to completely repair damage. Still likely need several days to heal."

"For once, I don't feel like arguing."

He smiled slightly. "Wise. Chakwas warned me of past 'escape attempts.'" He tapped his wrist, which made me look at mine. The gauntlets were stored- something I assumed I'd done at the medclinic, I actually didn't remember much of that, oddly- and over each wrist was a biotic suppressor.

"Oughta have Kasumi show me how to hack _these _things." I muttered.

"Will be in lab if you need me." He said to Chakwas.

"Did Shepard get a chance to talk to you yet?" I asked him.

"About mission? No. Somewhat vague. Worried about you."

The doors opened as if on cue, and she stepped in. Her face was unreadable enough to put mine to shame.

"Ah, Shepard, excellent timing. Wanted to ask about mission-"

"I'll be in the tech lab to talk to you in a minute or two. Right now, I'd like to speak to Bourne. Alone."

"Of course Commander." Chakwas said. "I'll show Mordin where the tech lab is- I wanted to look into something myself."

She nodded, and the two walked out.

She looked at me. "Are you healed up enough to do one of those bug scans?"

I wordlessly activated my omni-tool, and scanned the area.

"Looks clear. Mordin must've cleaned the place, or maybe Kasumi."

"Good." Her face went from unreadable, to a look she normally reserved for people that really pissed her off. "We need to talk."

_I swear, that's the same tone of voice as the first time she said that after we both became Spectres...I don't think I can brush her off this time._

"Which subject? EDI, Cerberus in general, or-"

"Miranda managed to convince me about EDI- the fact that Joker doesn't like her helped convince me, actually."

"Heh, makes sense. And Cerberus?"

"I think this crew is trustworthy enough- for the most part. I still don't trust Miranda, but after talking to Jacob...definately not my favorite person, but at least I'm sure he won't stab us in the back." She was silent a moment before she looked back at me. "Jason, be honest with me, please. Do you know who those two were?"

"I don't, but at the same time I sorta do...I don't know how to explain it..."

"Meaning?"

I was silent for several moments, trying to think of how to put it- let alone censor it for her benefit.

She at least seemed to tell what I was up to, and sat down across from me, patience battling impatience on her face.

"I can _guess _who they are." I finally said. "But I think at one point I actually did know. When…I took off 'Isaac's' helmet I...I don't know exactly how to describe it. I was hit with flashbacks?" I shook my head slowly. "Slade also said things that...I thought only I would know. Or at the very least very few people- he mentioned something about me having only 'one third' the power."

It took her a moment to grasp my meaning, but her eyes widened slightly once she did.

"I dunno if they have that same problem I did, but I'd bet they're from a similar program at least...or else…" I trailed off.

"What?"

"You remember me taking that rocket not long before the Normandy exploded? At the Geth base?" She nodded. "Ever since then...I've been having these weird dreams, like memories are trying to come out. But my brain was basically scanned in from someone else- my genetics might've been based on his to start with, or completely different. I don't know, but those flashbacks...some feel like they could be things _I've _actually experienced, and other seem more like...the original guy's. Heh, I don't even know his name either." I shook my head. "But Isaac's face felt like they could've belonged to both...way I figure it, the only way that could be possible..."

She absorbed that all, taking a couple minutes to puzzle it out in her head. "But if they were like you-"

"I don't know about Iron or Hero copies, but for some reason I don't think they have them. The mind scanning thing is...I don't know. Maybe."

"Why haven't we seen them before though?"

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Calling you tough is like saying I'm a good shot. Or that fire is a little warm. If they're anything like you, why wouldn't Saren have sent them out first chance he got?"

"Or Sovereign, or whatever other Reaper the Collectors answer to." I agreed, cupping my chin. "Isaac also mentioned...'her'. I don't know who that is. I suspect a third."

"Still doesn't answer the question."

"No, it doesn't...I have a couple guesses, though none satisfies me completely. They might've wised up after I broke loose, except at first Saren though I was Iron, and undercover. Maybe they sent them after something else while the Geth handled the heavy lifting. But that doesn't explain the last two years. Three more of me- or even one more- would be a serious threat if used right...Another option is that I just was the best, so they put them in storage as a backup, but that sounds kinda egotistical…"

"But you don't know."

"I don't even know my own goddamn age, let alone the fine details of what Saren did to me."

"...what would my age be?"

I gave her a blank look. "Huh?"

"I was 29 when I died. So, does that make me 31 now?"

"If I were you I'd just split the difference and say you're 30." I grinned. "But I don't see how much it really matters. I mean, if your girlfriend's a hundred and eight-"

"But is she?"

"...I assume you realize I can do basic math, so I'm guessing you're asking if she'd have moved on."

She nodded.

"I'm not saying I think it'll be easy; it _has _been two years for her, even if she did know you'd be back... but if I put down money on anyone to still make it work, it would be on you."

"Thanks." She seemed to appreciate the support. "Speaking of two years...Anderson apparently somehow heard a rumor I'm alive and sent a message to my email."

"Yeah, he'd heard that same rumor last time I talked to him."

"What'd you say?"  
"That I wished it was true. What? It wasn't a lie- you were still dead when I said it."

She rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I'm telling Joker to head for the Citadel next. We need better weapons, or at least upgrades. Maybe armor too."

"Oh, leave that to me."

She gave me a skeptical look.

"I doubt the doc- or docs, maybe- are gonna clear me for combat for a while, but walking around and touching base with my contacts?"

"Somehow, you'll find a way to get in a fight."

"Thank you."

"It wasn't a compliment!"

"Sounded like one to me." I said with a grin.

She shook her head. "Well, I guess I'll leave you to whatever it is you do when you're not fighting or sleeping."

"Well, since I can't work on my guns, I guess I'll dial up netflix or something."

"Any good movies I missed while I was under?"

"Uh...not that I know of. Guy did a production of Hamlet with elcor actors, but I doubt that's what you mean by good."

She gave me the blankest look I'd ever seen. Her mouth half opened, then just stayed that way for a solid thirty seconds at least. "I should go." She finally said, turning and walking out as fast as possible.

I laughed, but then immediately winced as it messed with my stab wound. _Worth it._

I brought up my omni-tool, and went for the netflix app. _Wonder if my visor got anything on that omni-tazer? Might be able to get Hephaestus to program one for me. Or maybe the fire version...or what if I could like, make it a warp blade, so I could prime combos with it?_

_...Or that electric sword, so he could make a Slayer style biotic sword?_

_Oh, and I wonder if he's got the mosquito done completely?...man, Raptor is going to have a ball in that lab. Probably best to keep Mordin away though- the two of them would probably figure out a way to end the universe._

_...Oh, sweet, they finally have the next season on here!_

* * *

Bourne glanced up at Raptor as she entered his cabin, then went back to staring at his armor, laid out in components on his bed.

"You know you're supposed to be in the medbay, right?"

"It's not like this is the first time I've snuck out ahead of schedule."

She crossed her arms. "Is that supposed to help your case?"

He shrugged. "That reminds me though, I need to get those back there at some point." He pointed to the table nearby, and she saw both the anti-biotic restraints.

She looked back at him, glaring and crossing her arms.

"I did a scan or two of my own- I'm healed up. The extra day would've been just to be safe."

She sighed, knowing he probably was right, even if his execution needed work. She glanced at the AI terminal nearby. "EDI said she knew you were in here, but didn't know what you were up to. What are you up to?"

"I am staring at my armor in indecision." He said, sighing and turning to look at her. "I dunno, I don't really _like _that grey cameo- Saren gave it to me. Yet at the same time it's what I'm known for, and it's...I made it my own...and I don't want to go with a jet black scheme now cause those other assholes' armor is like that."

"...You're telling me you broke out just so you could obsess over your clothes?"

"No. I also wanted to clean my guns." He said, smiling as he looked at her. The smile faded a moment later. "That, and this is one of the few places on the ship where EDI can't hear us. Bloody hate that."

She glanced at the terminal, then back at him in question.

"I rigged it so I have to make contact with her- otherwise she's blind and deaf." He chuckled. "Actually got some help from her on how to do that- convinced her that I needed some sorta contact for if there was an emergency or something. But since she knew I wasn't going to leave it as it was…"

"You're sure she didn't just lie to you?"

"I had Kasumi double check it, but it was mostly redundant. I've learned a thing or two about tech stuff." He said with a shrug. "Probably could become a sentinel if I wanted, but tech attacks just don't come as naturally to me as biotics. Only thing I'd really need them for anyway would be shields, and the lash tech actually lets me channel my pull fields through it- unless they've got armor too, yanked off their feet just like there was no shielding."

"Speaking of biotics-"

"Yeah, I was going to ask about that later today. Talked to Anderson myself, he said that meeting tomorrow would be better; rest of the council wouldn't be able to make it otherwise. Anyway-"

She held up a hand to cut him off. "I don't mean _my _biotics. I was practicing with that before EDI told me you'd busted out."

He actually let suprise show on his face for a moment before he put it back to normal. "Any progress?"

"I managed to throw those crates around. But not very far, and with zero accuracy."

He tapped his chin. "I'd say we oughta work on control before we worry about power. Doesn't matter how hard you can hit if you can't hit what you're aiming for."

"Yeah, but like you said, you're not exactly traditionally trained. I'll ask for help if I need it, but at this point I'd like to try puzzling it out on my own first."

"I can respect that." He said. "So what did you mean by biotics?"

"I was going over the dossiers...A, who should we go after first, B why do we need this Jack guy?"

He seemed like he was trying not to laugh as he gestured for her to continue.

"I mean, you're not exactly a weak biotic yourself, but your criminal record is also nonexistant."

"Maybe I used my spectre status to pardon myself."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm just saying, we already have enough people that I'm reluctant to trust very far, do we need-"

"She also hates Ceberus, which is something that isn't a bad thing."

"...She?"

"I did a bit of digging... Well, technically it was Kasumi that did the hacking into Ceberus's databases, but I'm the one that actually read through it all. Short version- Subject Zero, Jack or sometimes Jacqueline Nought, was raised in a Cerberus facility. And we both know the type of crap one of those can dream up."

She shuddered in agreement.

"Anyway, she's got a grudge against them, but if we can talk her into helping us, well...wouldn't be bad to have in a fight. As for Okeer...Well, Krogan aren't bad in a fight either. And if it's rumored he has collector tech, it's worth looking into."

"But which first? I'm not splitting us up for this one."

"No, I don't think we need to either. I say we do what we need to at the Citadel and then decide. Hell, we could always flip a coin or something."

"I guess." She said with a shrug. "So, I guess I'll just leave you to your guns and armor."

"Right." He said, looking back at the armor, still apparently unable to decide.

* * *

As I hopped into the elevator, not feeling like teleporting for once, the doors started to slide shut, only for Raptor to grab them at the last minute and slip in as well. "Damnit, you didn't change the armor after all? You still look like you, but nobody'll recognize me in this blue armor."  
"No, they'll know it's you. Nobody else has eyes like yours." I said, making my own glow slightly.

She rolled her eyes, but then her face grew serious. "How do I prove it's me though? If they think you're just vouching for me because you're in on it, and they think I'm a clone or an imposter-"

"You'll probably have to answer a lot of questions only you would know." I said.

"Most of them are things you'd also know though...I'm worried here." She admitted.

"Let's just talk to them first, worry about proving it's you if they bring it up." I suggested, hoping my reality warping would negate any doubt my vouching for her might cause. I didn't have a better plan, so I was going to have to bank on that, and adapt if it didn't pan out.

"So Miranda and Garrus?" She suggested.

"For the meeting tomorrow, yeah. Garrus is a member of the original crew, so it might be more noticeable that we have him, and Miranda not only can do whatever Cerberus negotiation stuff might come up, she also was in charge of the Lazarus project so she's our best source of info there...and if worse comes to worse, I'll just be able to arrest her and say that was my plan the whole time."

"I'll be sure to let her know that." Raptor said, rolling her eyes.

"For just shopping and stuff...I think we can handle anything we need to do. Think I'll see if Kasumi wants to tag along though." I teleported out of the elevator as it reached the CIC, and ended up outside the thief's, knocking on it.

"I'm not going to get up and unlock it for you." She called from the other side.

I brought up my omni-tool and started working on getting it unlocked and open. After a minute, the door went red, and my omni-tool was suddenly pink.

I teleported to the other side, glaring at her. "Virus?" I guessed, gesturing to my glowing arm.

"Yep. Figured you were ready for the advanced stuff." She brought up her own omni-tool and mine went back to its normal orange a moment later. "What's up?"

"Raptor and I were planning to do some weapons shopping, maybe hit the black markets too. Wondered if you'd be interested in tagging along."  
I couldn't see much of her face with the hood, but I saw her eyes going to the table nearby, and the greybox on top of it.

I crossed my arms, giving her a stern look. "You didn't want to play chess yesterday cause you were on that thing, didn't even answer your comms the day before...remember what I said when you got it?"

"I know, but-"

"But nothing Kasumi." I softened my tone, but kept it ferm. "I'm sorry, but the fact is, he's dead, and keeping that thing around isn't going to change that. It's just going to make it harder to snap back when you have to leave."

"But-"

"You ever heard of Isaac Asimov? Old sci-fi writer? He came up with a phrase I think fits in here quite well. 'The Dead Past'. No matter how many times you watch the same thing- or even live it- it won't change. He'll still die. You'll still have to wake up from the dream eventually."

She bit her lip as she looked at it.

"It'd be better to remember him normally." I said gently. "You don't need some piece of tech to know that he loved you...and it would be safer for you in another way too."

She looked away. "You're right. Just get it over with quickly. Please."

I crushed it into a small ball biotically, and walked over to her, putting a hand on her shoulder gently. "I _am _sorry Kasumi."

She didn't look at me. "It just feels like I've lost him again."

I was silent a moment. "'When the people we love are stolen from us, the way to have them live on is to never stop loving them. Buildings burn, people die, but real love is forever.'"

She looked at me with a hint of question on her face.

"It's from an old movie." I admitted. "But it's hard to disagree with."

She wiped her eyes with the back of a hand. "Yeah, guess it is."

"Come on, you can get thrown onto a gunship biotically- you can be strong enough to get through this." I managed a comforting smile. "Not that I'm saying you have to do it alone." I offered her a hand to help her up, and she took it as she wiped her eyes again with her other hand.

"If you ever need someone to talk to, my door's open. Well, actually it'd probably be locked, but that's not something that'd stop you anyway."

She smiled slightly, though it faded quickly.

"Come on, maybe we can ditch Shepard on the Citadel and get into some trouble."

She looked over my shoulder.

"She's standing right there, isn't she."

"Yep." Both women said at once.

"Damnit, you'd think by now I'd have learned."

* * *

As the three entered the tunnel to the wards, alarms started to go off.

"I didn't touch anything, I swear." Kasumi said hurriedly.

"Don't worry, this happens every time I'm in here." Bourne said with a wave of his hand, earning a look of puzzlement and irritation from Shepard. "By the way, how many is it this time?"

"Uh...37 violations." The officer answered.

"Sweet! New record!" He ducked under Shepard's arm as she tried to smack him in the back of the head.

"That's not what set it off though- we set it to stop doing it for you just because it does happen every time. The problem is with you miss." He said to Shepard. "The system seems to think you're...uh, dead."  
"I was listed as MIA a couple years back." She said smoothly. "Probably a clerical error or something."

"Yeah, that'd make sense." Bourne agreed. "We can talk to Captain Bailey about getting you put back in- he owes me a few favors anyway."

"He should be in tomorrow, today's his day off." He said with a shrug. "But seeing as she's with you, nobody'll give you that much trouble." He waved them through.

"So, when did C-sec become so incompetent that a thief with about a dozen warrants can walk right through without trouble?" Shepard asked.

"I think there were 40 something last I heard actually."

"Nah, I checked." Bourne said. "57. And a few more for a 'Jane Doe' that I'm betting was you. Besides, I can grant immunity for stuff like that if I need to. Perk of being a Spectre...so, what are we doing?"  
"What do you mean?"  
"Well, you don't just want to get weapons and go back do you?"

Both women stopped, and exchanged a disbelieving look.

"What, even I can only spend so much time doing that. I've got a ton of credits saved up, so food's on me. Or we could hit a theatre or something- I dunno, I'm just saying, we might as well have some fun while we're here."

"It's like you're saying words, but in an order that makes no sense for you." Shepard said. "Did you hit your head too?"

"Hardy har har." He rolled his eyes. "That a yes, let's do that after we talk to people, or no, you guys are heading back after?"

"Any place in mind?" Kasumi asked.

"I have a few favorites. Depends on what you're in the mood for...just saying Raptor, biotics mean you can down a lot of pizza without worrying about your weight."

"Isn't that kinda expensive out here though?"

"I am not a poor man." He said with a chuckle as he walked over to a rapid transit cab. "But we oughta talk to my supplier first- I haven't had him do much with sniper rifles, so dunno what he can do there, but he can at least upgrade you for a better assault rifle and pistol."

"He the guy that made those gloves?"

"With a little help from me, yeah." He glanced at Kasumi. "Oh, but maybe don't cloak around him. He'll go all obsessed about how it works and how to replicate it, which'll mean he won't work on anything else for at least a week."

"It's not a completely unique program. Upgraded a bit, but the basics are in development by most military organizations."

"Just trust me on this one." He said as the doors opened and he stepped into the drivers seat.

"Move over." Raptor said.

"Oh, yeah, like I'm letting _you _drive."  
"You're the one that ran into that energy field on Illos."

"You're the one that hasn't had two years to improve your driving."  
"I outrank you."

"I'm a spectre, rank doesn't count… Also, I don't know if either of us technically are still in the military at this point."

"Do you want to just flip a coin or something?" Kasumi suggested.

They looked at each other. "Rock Paper Scissors?" Both suggested at once. "Sounds good. Rock, Paper, Scissors!"

She looked at their hands in disbelief.

"Scissors beats paper."

"Why couldn't I predict you'd go with the cutting implement." Raptor grumbled as she got in back, Kasumi getting in beside her.

"Because it was so obvious?" He shrugged as they rose into the air, headed towards the presidium.

* * *

**(What, no cliffhanger this time?)**

**T117: Even I can't pull one of those off every chapter...unfortunately.**

**)You're kinda a sadistic bastard, you know that?(**

***What do you mean 'kinda'?***

**T117: You realize of course I can up the level of torture inflicted on you pretty easily?**

**)Yeah right, what more could you really do to me?(**

**T117: *Evil grin.**

**(...That grin makes me kinda glad that my status is up in the air instead of being guaranteed a spot of torture like Bourne.)**

***Ditto.***

**T117: Anyway, so far classes aren't too bad, but it's only week one...I'm not going to make any comments about changing the schedule or not just yet.**

***Cutting back would reduce how much you had to write, kinda cut down on stress.***

**T117: Yeah, but my writing moods are kinda erratic. I've gotten a chapter or more done in one day at some times, other times gotten maybe a sentence at the most. I'll keep you posted, how about I leave it at that.**

**(You realize I we don't really care, and I'm just here to stress you out, right?)**

**T117: I talk to myself outloud a lot too, so maybe this is just something similar.**

***What, you mean proof that you're nuts?***

**T117:...Pretty much. I should probably wrap this up so I can get back to writing...something else I'm working on. More on that-**

**)The Destiny Fic with Spike and Ferret?(**

**T117:...Yeah. No idea when that'll be up or anything- we're basically just getting the characters figured out right now. Haven't even figured out a name. But yeah, probably should focus on that right now, so Sayonara.**


	18. Shopping and Pizza- What Could Go Wrong?

"Welcome back Lt. Bourne."

"I swear to god I'm going to blast this thing if he doesn't undo that." I muttered as I entered the shop ahead of the other two.

"Alert- password system has been upgraded."

"Right, he mentioned that in his last message...hit me with the code key."

"Of all the creatures that breathe and move upon the earth…"

I thought for a moment, then chuckled. "Nothing is bred that is weaker than man.."

"Correct." The wall nearby slid open to reveal a hidden elevator.

"What's that from?" Raptor asked. "I feel like I've heard it before-"

"It's a line from the Odyssey."

"Your contact depends on poetry as a security system?" Kasumi commented as we got in.

"It probably also used a voice sample or something to match it up and make sure it was me. It's really more of a formality anyway since I could teleport in." I said with a shrug.

The elevator doors opened again after only a few moments. "Well, time to make some introductions."

"Ah, you brought Commander Shepard, excellent." Hephaestus said without turning around as we walked in. "I can double check that your guns are correctly coded to her DNA as well."

He turned around and hit something on his omni-tool. "I also have something I think you'll like."

"That biotic sword I messaged you about?"  
"No."

"...I'm out of ideas. What is it?"

He gestured behind me, and I saw that the far corner of the room had lit up, a mannequin standing in the middle.

"...Completely new armor?"

"I made the modifications that would allow your gauntlet's metal components to retract, and in the process figured out how to better integrate them with other armor. This also has a few...other upgrades."  
He opened up another 3D 'powerpoint.' "This has slots on your shoulders- or shoulder blades- so you can draw your knives from there and throw them- more efficient by 30 percent in simulations. I also included a system on the thighs- when your hand approaches with the small chips in the gloves, it will automatically 'pop out' the knife system there. The rest of the time it will be stored in the armor itself, so it won't get in the way of your guns. Similar systems on the boots will decrease the odds of them coming off."

"Okay, yeah, I'm liking the sound of this." I said as I walked over, shaking off another odd flashback. "Black's gotta go though."  
"It should be simple enough to change it to your cameo pattern." He said. "In the meantime, while the machines are doing that- you need your gauntlets upgraded."

"How long will that take?" Shepard asked.

"About half an hour. Oh, and if you try firing that, it will explode in your hand." He said offhandedly to Kasumi, who was cloaked over by one of the shelves.

"Disable the security so they can look around." I said. "Cerberus is kinda too broke to get us quality weapons after rebuilding her."

"As you wish- just remember to make sure with me what you're bringing out. Much of this is experimental."

"Which reminds me- I brought you a present." I unclipped the plasma shotgun from my waist and set it on a nearby table as I sat in the operating chair. "See what you can figure out from that- maybe turn it into a pistol or something."  
Raptor gave me a look. "Didn't you just say-"

"What? We have spares; Cerberus isn't _that _poor."

She rolled her eyes and went to browse the guns. I allowed myself to tune out as Hephaestus started doing things to my hands and gauntlets, mostly seeing how well I could keep track of Kasumi as she walked around cloaked.

"I also managed to incorporate better amplifiers into each hand, which should drastically boost your endurance and control." He said as he sliced something open, though the pain lasted about as long as a needle in the arm. "As well as upgrading the lashes themselves." He started pulling things out, and setting them aside.

"I assume you'll give me the rundown after they're installed?"

"Most of it."

I shrugged and looked back at where Kasumi had last been, to 'see' that she'd moved on. I smiled slightly as I scanned the room, trying to locate her again.

"Uh, what the heck is this thing?" Raptor's voice caught my attention, and I looked over to see her holding…

I chuckled in response. "That's the prototype Human version of a Turian Sniper Rifle I asked him to look into- figured it'd be a good...bridging point for me to practice with; has the range of a sniper rifle, but the fact I can get off multiple shots means it's like a mattock or something." _Now, ask what's it called…_

"It got a name?"

"That, is the M-13 Raptor."

She paused for a moment. "M-13? Huh, usually there's another word on the end."

"There is. It's spelled R-a-p-t-o-r."

She looked it a moment, then back at me. "You're kidding."

"Nope." I chuckled again. "I'd like to say the name is coincidental...but at the same time I doubt I'd have wanted to get one so much if it weren't for the name."

"...Just how many guns are you going to carry? I mean, you've already got-"

"I don't have to carry them all at once for every mission." I pointed out. "I can swap them out for different things."

"But you also carry a couple dozen knives at any given time."

"Not to mention the whip things and cannon built into your arms." Kasumi agreed, though when I looked in the direction the voice had come from I couldn't quite tell where she was.

"And his face can also be used to disgust any who look at it." Hephaestus said in deadpan, making the other two both chuckle.

"Buncha comedians, aren'tcha." I rolled my eyes.

"Roll over." Hephaestus said as he pulled away from my arms- I glanced down to see the stored up bands were now covered with a few layers of bronze-colored metal. "I need to make some adjustments to your implants as well, and take some readings."

I adjusted myself so I was facedown.

"I'm going to have to slice into the back of your neck- I know painmeds won't work on you, so I'll simply tell you that if you move or twitch at the wrong moment…"

"As long as you keep that thing away from my liver, I doubt it'll be too bad."

A moment later I felt the cold metal touch my skin, and then bite into it. I didn't ask what he was doing- I didn't want to risk moving even that much.

"Hmm, that went much faster than expected." He commented as I felt the familiar sensation of medigel on the back of my neck. I waited a few moments, then stood up, rubbing the back of my neck.

"So, you wanna tell me what you just-" I cut myself off as I felt something pulse outward from me. _Reality warping again? But... what could it be changing right now?_

"You're aware of the redundant sets of implants you have?"

I nodded, figuring Raptor would pick up on the real meaning of what I'd told him, and wondering what Kasumi would think of it.

"I just reactivated them and tied them into your main ones- allowing you control of all three and thrice the power."

I looked at him without expression. I didn't want to assume the worst, but old habits died hard... and that the pulse had occurred after he'd screwed with the other two sets of implants seemed too much to be coincidence.

I looked over to the side, and concentrated as I flared my biotics, forming a singularity in the air. I held it there for several heartbeats, and released it after nothing else seemed to happen. No voices in my mind. _Good._

"That's...unexpected."

_That, on the other hand, is not something I want to hear while he's looking at a screen that's taking readings on me._

"What?" Raptor asked before I could.

"I used nanites to help form the circuitry of the gauntlets, and they somehow went back online for a few moments there."

"Nanites?" I muttered, blinking away another odd vision. "So what's the 'that's unexpected'?"

"...This can't be right."

"What?" I asked impatiently.

"They appear to have somehow formed a quantum entanglement device in your right arm- much like the dreadshot takes up space in your left."

"Quantum entanglement? But how would that even be possible to be formed from..." I trailed off as I thought. "Quantum entanglement between what two things?"

"I...the only thing it could be used for is a link between your mind and another."

I slowly looked down at my hand, then back at him as I clenched it into a fist. "And this happened purely by accident?"

"I doubt I could recreate it if I tried." He admitted.

"And I would advise you do not try to recreate it." I said, managing to loosen my hands even as I had to fight to keep my biotics in check. "If this thing does what I think it can...I'm not going to use it."

"It was purely a side effect- using it or not using it won't make a difference to the rest of your abilities."

"Good." I looked over at the armor, then at my gloves- which were now much better armored, and a dull polished bronze color. "Let's bronze up the belts and sheaths for the big knives to go with these. Then the grey cameo on the rest."

He nodded, having learned by now that on some points, arguing with me was useless.

* * *

"Wait wait, so you just...you threw her onto a gunship?" Shepard looked between the two in disbelief.

"That's not the cool part. She just like disabled the shields one handed." Bourne said with a chuckle. "But then again, I'm the one who took the mech down, and actually did most of the work with the thieving stuff. And the fighting stuff."

"And who saved who with the flashbang?" The thief countered.

"Meh, he's always needed someone saving him." Shepard said, barely keeping a straight face as Bourne just rolled his eyes nonchalantly.

"So, did you two decide what you want? I still vote we get at least one pepperoni."

"What, as in more than one pizza?" Shepard asked with some disbelief.

"Biotic, remember? Besides, I got a fridge in my cabin now; we can stick any leftovers in there."

She shook her head. "So how about one pepperoni and one Hawaiian?"

"Can't go wrong with the classics."

Kasumi shrugged. "Works for me."

"So, any other good stories from the past couple years?" She asked, trying to seem calm about the idea that so much time has passed.

If Bourne picked up on it, he didn't let it show. "Not really. Most of it was spent training, working on equipment, or stealing things from Cerberus." He gestured to Kasumi. "That, or having her teach me how to steal things myself."

"Bet you passed with flying colors on the being quiet part of it."

"Statistically he had to be good at some part of it." The thief replied. "But the tech part…"

"I warned you ahead of time I knew nothing about coding and shit." He said with a half sigh.

"At least you only have to show him something once and then he remembers it perfectly." Shepard said with a chuckle. "Now if I could show him how to shut up every once in a while…"

"If you can get it to work on Joker, then we'll talk." He replied with a smile tugging at his lips. "If you can get it to work on Mordin, I'll sew my damn lips shut."

"What, are you trying to beat out Garrus for ugliest guy on the Normandy? Cause don't worry, you're already far ahead."

"Oh, you're just mad cause you finally met someone with eyes weirder than yours... But I guess Zaeed's prosthetic doesn't exactly look natural either." He shrugged. "So it's like a tie for second between the two of you."

"Because your eyes are much better." Kasumi said sarcastically.

"Hey, glowing blue is classy." He smiled. "Besides, compared to how her ex's eyes got when they-" He barely managed to avoid Raptor's answering kick under the table.

"Sorry _my _liaisons lasted longer than two minutes."

His mouth half opened, then snapped shut again as he glared at her. "You're lucky I'm a nice enough guy to not make them split the check."

"Nice? I think the word you're looking for is 'smart'."

"I think being able to understand advanced eezo science to the point I earned a degree counts as smart, so you've got a point."

"...a degree?"

"It was a course via the extranet." He said with a shrug. "It counts."

"...Uh-huh."

It was clear from his shrug he really didn't care either way what she thought. "By the way Kasumi, you better leave that credit chit on the table or something."  
Raptor looked at where Kasumi had been sitting- or rather was sitting as she uncloaked again.

"One of these days I'm going to get away with _something _without you noticing."

"Lady, when it comes to stealth, I practically invented the thing. You might fool eyes or cameras, but theses are a bit harder to fool." He said, tapping his ears. "Or the nose that detects pepperoni approaching."

She half pouted as she leaned back.

"Should I start locking my cabin?" Raptor commented.

"Only if you want to make it more tempting." Bourne said with a dry chuckle, half glaring at the thief.

"I said I was sorry! Geez, take one gun-"

"You took my _S-17_! I've had that gun for almost- I killed _Saren _with that thing for crying out loud! Then killed him with it again when he turned into a zombie!"

Raptor shook her head in amusement.

"Oh, like you wouldn't freak out if she took your sniper rifle."

"That's...not something that I will confirm or deny." She said as the waitress set the pizzas down on the table.

Bourne rolled his eyes as he waved his hand, causing a slice of pizza to fly onto his plate neatly.

* * *

"So, let me get this straight. You can shoot that thermal clip out of the air, but-"

"This is why I wanted to get the M-13." Bourne shook his head as he lowered the weapon. "This stupid mantis is...I don't know, but something feels off when I use it. Dunno if it's too long, or I just can't focus in on one point so far away…or maybe the scope needs adjusting."

She rolled her eyes and grabbed it from his hands, aiming and firing in less time than it took him to blink, then handed right back to him with a fresh clip.

"...Showoff." He muttered, looking at the bullseye that was surrounded by all the holes he'd put in around the target.

"Can you even use that M-13 at all?"

"Haven't had a chance to use it yet. Wanted to modify it for the older system first anyway...and paint it something besides 'shoot me orange'"

"Why do you want to be able to use a sniper rifle anyway? I mean, the range is nice, sure, but you can basically fire _yourself _at an enemy as long as you can see them."

"Well, why do you prefer them over other weapons?"

"I...don't really know how to explain it. Partly because it was the hardest for me to learn to use. Partly because-" She tapped a finger near her eyes. "I wanted to prove them wrong."

"Yeah, but you're still a better shot than most with damn near any gun."

"Except for SMGs most of the time- too much recoil- but then again that's true of most."

"Yeah, tell me about it. One thing I like about the Locust is that it's so accurate and low recoil, but we're getting off topic now." He shook his head.

"Maybe I'm just being too easy on you with this." She said suddenly, with a wicked smile on her face.

"...I'm suddenly a little bit completely terrified."

"Well, it's a little too late to ask him now, but I think after we meet with the Council, I'm going to ask Garrus to give you some help with this."

"Garrus?"

"He's bound to have taught some rookies in his time- he can teach you the basics so the master can take over."

"Okay, but one question."

"What's that?"

"After Zaeed's taken over, when do you come in?"

She looked at the gun, then back at him. "You're lucky I have enough respect for this gun to not use it as a club."

He chuckled. "Yeah, well, I think I'm going to head to bed. Want a lift?"

"I think I'd rather take the normal way."

He shrugged. "Suit yourself." He was gone with a quick turn on his heels.

She changed the simulation, and removed her guns from her back, setting them to the side. She looked at newly spawned crates, and drew her hand back before thrusting it forward.

All that happened was she felt something crack in her back, while the crates remained motionless.

"How does Jason make this look so easy?" She asked the open air, before trying again.

After several more unsuccessful attempts, she threw her hands in the air angrily, turning away, and heard loud clangs behind her. She glanced over her shoulder to see one of the crates falling from the ceiling to the ground.

She looked at them again, then repeated the upward motion. One of them flew upward with enough force to dent it- not the one she'd been aiming for, but it was a start at least.

She smiled, then tried again- and this time did nothing.

She sighed. _This is going to take a while._

* * *

**(So, counting Bourne now there's two biotics on the team worse than Jacob.)**

**)You have about ten seconds to take back that comment before I take back your head as a trophy.(**

**(...Did that even make sense?)**

**)Sorta.(**

***So, T117's busy playing Destiny and gave us free reign since...this is a disaster waiting to happen, right?***

**)Yeah.( (Probably.)**

You do realize that I can and will log you out if you do anything too drastic.

**(Why exactly does she get that sorta power? I mean, she was basically a joke T117 did where he kept trying to log Spike off and couldn't, and he just ran with it.)  
**Considering you are the only one here who still remembers my other role, you know exactly why.

***Huh?***

**)Just go with it. I've given up on figuring out what they're talking about with that sorta thing.(**

**(That's what I do when you guys talk about things other than murder or maiming.)**

***Okay, should we just cut things off here before things get out of hand?***

**(Only if you want to be **_**MS. **_**Killington.)**

**)...What?( *Huh?***

**(Sigh. It's no fun making of fun of people who don't get the joke. Okay, Later suckas.)**

**)I'm outta here.(  
*Sayonara.***

**)Okay, I'm back- why are you the one that says that instead of me?(**

***Because you didn't say it when you had the chance.***

**)Oh, we are not ending it like **Krog N Ki11er24 has been logged off.


	19. We Have Dismissed Intelligence

_I seem to find myself staring at my hands a lot lately. _I thought as I sat on the edge of my bed. I'd been awoken from by a nightmare again, but couldn't shake this one off so easily.

_If Hephaestus is right about what this thing is...a dominator that'd let me...okay, _wow_, I need to think up a new name for this thing._

I shook my head as I let the glove appear. _I know exactly what it feels like to have someone else mucking about with my brain. So there's no way I'd ever use it...no, if things got bad enough maybe...I'll never _want _to use it, but if things got bad enough I might have to...but that...reality pulse. Happened as he was upgrading me. It had to have either been something to do with Iron and Hero, or something to do with this...or both._

_If this thing really is a...psychoglove? Horrible name, but regardless this could potentially end the war with the reapers before it really starts. If I could show the council what I know with this- prove without a shadow of a doubt what's going on…I'd probably be thrown in a mental ward. Or shot. Or both._

_But at the same time...maybe it was to keep Iron and Hero dead, keep them from...coming back online._

I turned my hands over as I retracted the gloves again, looking at the scars on my right palm.

_Or...I don't have an or. My biotics I can use without even thinking about it, but the reality warping thing I know next to nothing about. Until X-57 I wasn't completely sure it existed because I'd never felt it in use before. _

_I've at least suspected something like it existed almost as soon as I woke up on Eden Prime, but mostly because I saw its effects. Sensing it at work though, is new. I don't think it means I'm getting better control of it, but it could mean it's getting stronger. Or its effects are greater cause my presence is changing more so more has to be done to bring things back in line._

_Or it could just mean I need to stop leaving during those damn pysch evals._

My eyes suddenly went to the wall between my room and Shepard's as I heard something coming from within. I grabbed my visor from where it was stored nearby, and looked at it a moment before putting it on, still wishing I had a name for it. I set it to thermal imaging, and shook my head before bringing up my omni-tool and sending a message to Kasumi.

I heard the beep from inside the wall, which just confirmed my suspicions. She glanced at it, then seemed to look directly at me before hastily disappearing back into the crawl spaces.

_Well, at least I'm not a kleptomaniac...just a procrastinator since I still haven't come up with a decent name for this visor...allsight visor? No, that's lame...hawksight?...closer, but still not quite right...amplification matrix?..._

_...Maybe I should ask Raptor in the morning what she thinks._

* * *

"Amplification matrix?" She repeated in disbelief.

"I told you none of my names were that great."

"Yeah, but I thought they'd be better than that." She said, shaking her head.

"Oh, and what would you call it?" I asked pointedly, leaning against the wall of the airlock as we waited for Garrus and Miranda.

"I think you're just overthinking it...but I do have one idea."

I nodded for her to continue.

"Well, it covers your eyes and makes you even more expressionless and unreadable than normal, boosts your sight while lowering your cooldowns, and you've been struggling over a name for ages." She shrugged. "How about calling it the Paradox Visor?"

"...How was that so easy for you when I've been trying to think of the name for literally over a year?"

"Because you're you and I'm me."

"...Should I be insulted by that statement?"

"Only if you're embarrassed by being you."

I decided maybe it was better to shut up while I was ahead. _Not that I won't be behind soon enough. "Ah yes, Reapers, the race of blah blah we have dismissed that claim." Bunch of fucking idiots. I don't know that I won't just start swearing at them in prothean or something. Or maybe teleport outside to toss a flare or two before coming back. _

_Granted it's mostly the Turian in that instance, but still. _I glanced down at the...I mentally shrugged and decided on "psychomancer", the same arguments running through my head as this morning.

_Then again, last time I ended up arguing with myself this much...Raptor died._

I glanced up as I heard footsteps, and half grimaced. "We really oughta try to find 'arkangel' some new armor while we're here." I muttered to Shepard as the two reached us. "That stuff's almost as torn up as his face."

"So, politics and Bourne. This should be interesting as always." Garrus commented. Despite Slade's interference, we'd been able to recover his severed mandible, so his scars were only slightly more widespread than in the game.

"Infuriating is the word I'd use." I deadpanned. "If they actually believe any of this, my jaw might break the ground it'll hit it so hard."

"The council might not be the most supportive bunch, but at least they're consistent." Garrus said with a shrug.

"Yeah, but if Raptor can win over a hardass like you that this is happening, you'd think the council might buy into a little more."

"At least they agreed to meet with you." Miranda said with a shrug. For the first time I noticed she was back in the catsuit instead of the more armored suit.

"It's a start." I reluctantly agreed. "At least if you're there you might be able to explain the lazarus project stuff."

"And after the meeting, then what?" Raptor asked.

"Well, before the meeting, we need to get you reinstated into the Citadel's systems so they stop detecting you as a zombie. As for after, might check in with hephaestus again, but after that I think the next step just depends on who we recruit first."

As we moved into the airlock, another thought hit me. _If Slade and Isaac are from the real world as I suspect, that'd explain how they knew to wait for us on Omega at either spot. Which means they might very well be on Purgatory or Korlus waiting for us. Maybe one each...or whoever 'she' is. _

I closed my eyes, trying to see it from their angle, figure what I knew about me, my fighting style, their fighting styles..._Either one seems to be able to give me a challenge, but by the way they ran, I get the feeling they're going to be cautious. Prefer ambushes. Probably try to make it two on one._

_And if they are from the real world, then odds are they're trying to keep that a secret too. Otherwise...no, it's too big a threat for me to be able to counter if they spill the info, but at the same time unlikely they'd try it, so for now I need to assume they won't. And hope that doesn't bite me in the ass._

_But it means they know about both locations. Korlus has plenty of spots to try taking us down- hell, they could sign on with the mercs and just wait. They could do that on Purgatory too, but since that'll end up exploding at the end of the mission the odds of surviving are much lower._

_So they'll probably be waiting on Korlus and skip Purgatory. _

_Or wait at Horizon...either way Purgatory's our best chance at a breather._

_...relatively speaking. _

* * *

"Raptor, relax already." Bourne said to her as they entered the skycar. "Even if your status is up in the air, I'm a Spectre, so doing that was completely legal. Technically."  
"Oh no, I am not letting Bourne drive." Garrus said from behind them. "I remember what happened on Illos."

"You can get in, or you can walk." Bourne said flatly in response.

"Or I could drive so we don't-" Bourne started the car and cut him off, raising a few inches off the floor.

"Last chance."

The turian grumbled as they got in, and Bourne took off towards the presidium.

"You're not much of a negotiator, are you?" Miranda commented.

"Just how long have you known Bourne?" Raptor responded.

"I am going to ignore you both and focus on driving so I don't 'accidentally' crash into something." Bourne said in a flat tone.

"Yeah, good idea. You two are both ugly enough as it is." Raptor joked, gesturing to the turian.

He turned to give her an annoyed look- or she thought it was annoyed anyway, since the visor was obscuring his eyes- before turning back to the view ahead.

"So, do we have a plan at all here?" Garrus asked.

"Hah! Do we ever?" Raptor and Jason said almost in unison.

"Not judging from your psychological profiles." Miranda muttered.

"I figure we walk in, and impr-adapt." Bourne said, frowning at the last word, and shaking his head slightly.

Raptor didn't ask. "And if they don't believe I'm really me?"  
He was silent for a minute. "Maybe you ought to take the lead. If it's me 'promoting' you or whatever, it'll seem more suspicious than if you...well, act like you, on your own."

"They have biometrics and DNA scanners. If C-sec could figure it out…"

"Or if push comes to shove they could have an asari pick through your brain and prove it's you." He said with some distaste.

She opened her mouth to berate him for the crack about Liara before looking again. His body language said his mind was somewhere else entirely.

"We'll be fine Jason." She said, changing her tone.

"Yeah, last time you said that, before we hit that Geth base on Lorek, I ended up cleaning oil stains off my armor for an hour."

"Because you decided to slam into the stupid-"

"No, I didn't decide squat. The prime dodged out of the way so I hit the floating oilcan instead. The Prime would've just been knocked off balance so I could shoot him, but the damn bomber exploded in my face. Hate those stupid flying fuckers."

"Nice thing about using a sniper rifle- you never have to worry about that happening." Garrus chuckled, making Shepard reach back so they could low five...or three in Garrus's case.

"Uh huh." Bourne said, obviously not really caring. "And tell me Garrus- what's your plan if they get close? Switch to the stick up your ass as a backup weapon?"

Raptor had to put a hand to her mouth to keep from bursting out laughing at the look on Garrus' face at that.

"At least unlike with knives, you don't have to worry about slipping and ending up looking like you lost a fight with a lawn mower."

"This coming from the man who tried to fight a gunship by catching its bullets with his face."

"Didn't Kasumi say your strategy was to throw teammates at it?" Raptor countered him.

"Remind me to show you both how that trick works sometime." He said, a hint of a smile on his face.

The two exchanged a look; Raptor hoped he was kidding, but with _him _who knew?

"Anyway, we're here." He said, parking the air car in front of the embassies. It looked slightly different, obviously having been rebuilt, but was more or less the same as when she had last seen it.

"Maybe Garrus ought to stay out here with the engine running for if we need a quick getaway."

"I can teleport, remember?" He said as he popped his door open and stepped out. " I think that is a pretty good getaway already. Come on, we're running a few minutes late."

"How?"

"Traffic was bad, prefered to avoid trying weaving through it like an idiot." He motioned for her to lead the way in.

"Shepard will be here- Oh, Commander, we were just talking about you."

Raptor couldn't hold back a slight smile as she saw her old friend again. "It's been a long time Anderson. Hope the last couple of years have treated you well."

"Well enough. Though I seem to recall asking Bourne if certain rumors about your return were true." He added, glaring at her fellow Spectre as he walked in.

"At the time, it was true." He said, no emotion in his voice.

"Bourne, don't try to play us with technicalities." The Turian's hologram said with irritation clear in his voice. "Rumors place you both as working with Cerberus."

"Remind me to send TIM a thank you bomb." Bourne said under his breath to her as they walked closer. "A really big expensive explody one that'll kill him to death."

"We called this meeting to give you a chance to explain your side." The asari said, cutting off anything further from the Turian. "We owe you that, as you did save our lives two years ago."

The two spectres exchanged a look, and he nodded to her to explain.

"Cerberus is funding our current mission." Raptor said simply. "The Collectors are abducting human colonies in the terminus systems, and we're trying to stop them."

"And before you say it," Bourne said, cutting off the Turian, "Yes, we know the the council has no jurisdiction out there, and our colonists knew that before they went out there. You really coulda and shoulda changed that a long time ago. But I digress."

"I understand your desire to help your people," The asari acknowledged, "but the fact is that Cerberus is an avowed enemy of the council. You are working with them, which is a capital offense."

"So was stealing the Normandy, and if we hadn't done that, none of you idiots would be alive- nor would anyone else on this station more than likely." Bourne said bluntly. "I worked with them because they could bring Shepard back to life, and I'm working with them now because as you said, the Council has no jurisdiction out there." He glanced out towards the presidium, then looked back at them. "And judging by the state of the citadel, you probably don't have the extra credits to fund this yourselves."

"So stopping the collectors is worth risking the loss of your spectre status and execution? Batarian slavers or mercenary groups are the same type of threat, further proof that you should have stayed out of the terminus." The Turian scoffed.

Bourne folded his arms behind his back, and Raptor could see both hands were clenched into fists.

She cut in before he could speak again. "They're far worse than the batarians or anyone else; we have reason to believe they're working with the reapers."

"Ah, yes, Reapers." The Turian said, making air quotes. "The race of sentient starships allegedly waiting in dark space. Bah, we have dismissed that claim."

Bourne made a noise that could've been a choking sound, a laugh, a snort, a squeak, or simply a suppressed sneeze, and he gave them the blankest look she had ever seen on any being.

Anderson turned to them both. "Nobody but you and your crew ever spoke with Sovereign or saw the hologram on Illos. I believe you, but without evidence from another source…"

She turned towards them, setting her jaw. _Well, it's at least worth a try._

* * *

"You have _got _to be _fucking _kidding me." I said in the middle of one of Shepard's arguments, brain just now coming back online.

"Need I remind you-"

"_**Save it**__._" I cut the Turian off. "It should be pretty obvious to you neither side is willing to give an inch, so unless you're going to actually help in some way, I see no reason to continue this conversation and further antagonise each other." I had to resist the urge to snap my fingers, a gut feeling coming over me.

The Asari seemed thoughtful for a moment before she turned to the other two. "Perhaps there is a compromise then- a way to show peripheral support at least."

"You mean reinstating me as a spectre?...or, confirming I still am one, I dunno how the whole KIA/MIA thing would work here."

I tried not to roll my eyes at her.

"If you two keep a low profile and stay in the terminus systems." The Turian said, obviously not willing to budge on the issue.

"As low as we can manage at least." Garrus commented under his breath.

"Deal." Raptor said simply. "As long as we don't have to hear the speech again."

"Amen to that." I agreed.

They hit a few buttons on their panels. "Good luck in your investigation. And we hope for a quick end to your relationship with Cerberus." The asari said before the holograms faded.

"First TIM pulls an us, now _they're _hanging up on us?! Damnit, that was _our _thing!"

Raptor slugged me in the shoulder- though this time I could tell she'd pulled it a lot...though that still meant it hurt a lot.

"Well, that went better than expected." Anderson said, sighing. "Not that I expected much with Bourne involved."

"Hey, for me, I was pretty good." I protested. "Besides, even if the windbags do nothing productive whatsoever, it's at least better than having them as enemies."

"True enough. I'll keep them and the Alliance off your backs."

I heard footsteps from the other side of the door, and grimaced even before it opened and Udina stepped in.

"Anderson, we need to talk about-" he cut off as he saw us.

"Before you say anything, just know I've been holding in a lot of frustration, and I would be more than happy to take it out on you." I said as bluntly as possible, actually letting my biotics flare around my hands.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, at least somewhat limiting the annoyance in his voice.

"Meeting with the Council and getting my Spectre Status reinstated." Raptor answered. "Though I was also hoping to avoid you, but I guess we can't have everything."

I glanced at her, somewhat surprised, but at the same time I'd kinda expected her to be annoyed after all that.

"The feeling is mutual. Your return is a bureaucratic nightmare for us."

I smiled, visor hiding a mischievous gleam in my eyes. "In that case, let me show you to your office so you can get a headstart on all that paperwork." I grabbed him before he could react, and teleported to his office and back, letting him go in between.

"You teleported him to his office?" Raptor asked, ignoring the way Anderson was looking between us.

"Yep."

"Why not the lake?"

"That's...a good idea. I'll be riiiiiiight back."

"_Don't_."  
"Oh come on, you can't give me ideas like that and then say I can't do it! Totally not cool!"

She glared at me.

"Urgh, fiiiiiiiine. Buzzkill."

* * *

"So, how long has it been?"

I turned around to look back at Shepard as she followed me out of the elevator.

"How long since what?"

"You didn't ask Anderson about Ashley."

I put my poker face in place. "No point. You and I are with Cerberus, her assignment's classified. Odds of him telling us anything are a million to one."

She crossed her arms. "Just cause you don't wear your heart on your sleeve doesn't mean I haven't figured out to read you." She pointed down to my hand, and I glanced down to see it was tightly clenched in a fist.

I slowly worked it open. "I had to call it off with her about a week after the Normandy was destroyed. Haven't kept track of days- didn't really want to."

"Do you think there's a chance you two could still…"  
_It'd be months before it was even possible, and after this...me working with Cerberus...it's possible, but...I don't know. _"I could ask the same about you and Liara after this much time."

Her hand was the one to clench into a fist this time.

"Fact is, neither of us knows." I shrugged. "And unless you can see the future, we have no way to know, so there's not much point in obsessing over it...did I really just say that? Me?"

"That's what I was about to say."

I shook my head. "But while we're talking about future plans...I am going to get out of my armor and then head out to get some food that isn't made from military rations...and maybe some alcohol along with that."  
"Yeah, probably ought to leave tonight. I'm kinda amazed C-sec hasn't swarmed the ship yet with all the Cerberus logos all over it."

"Hmm...how long do you think it'd take me to warp all those off?"

"You can do that before you go for food."

"I am rather tempted to...though knowing Miranda they'd just be repainted on within ten minutes of me getting done with it"

"Heh, no kidding."

_Though maybe, maybe, if I get rid of those, I can keep Jack from freaking out and…_ "Uh, speaking of leaving, where are we headed first?"

"Krogan or a biotic...the latter seems a bit redundant with you around."

"Oh, and the former isn't?"

"Heh, good point."

I teleported into my room to grab something, then was back in front of her a moment later.

"You could've just used the door you know."

I shrugged. "Took this from Kasumi a while back- she was impressed I managed to out steal her so she let me keep it." I held up the object in question- a twentieth century quarter dollar.

"Works for me. Tails Krogan, heads biotic."

I flipped it, and felt another pulse as I caught it on the back of my hand. I removed the hand covering it, and saw George looking back at me.

"That was easy." Raptor said, shrugging as she headed into her her room.

_Yes, it was. Lady luck has not completely abandoned me it seems...lady luck or the reality warping...or fate, if that's different than either of the other two…should I call my ability reality warping or rename it fate shifting?...nah, stick with tradition. _

* * *

**(So, be honest- how many versions of this did you write where Bourne killed those idiots before changing it to this?)**

**T117: None...I was afraid I'd actually put it in instead of this.**

**)I fail to see the issue.(**

**T117: Yeah...Screw it, I can't do an A/N right now. Don't feel like getting into why, but it's not going to turn out well if I try forcing it. Hopefully I can make it up next time if you guys give me some questions to answer. Until then, Sayonara.**


	20. Trying to Cage Wind

"So, correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't _most _people supposed to end up in purgatory a little sooner after-"

"Jason, just stop the joke there." Raptor sighed as they walked in, Garrus and Miranda following them.

"Hmph. Spoilsport."

"Welcome to purgatory." The guard greeted them. "Your package is being prepped, and you'll have it momentarily. But as this is a high security facility, you'll need to relinquish your weapons before proceeding."

Bourne rolled his eyes, visor not active at the moment. "You realize I could kill someone with my brain, right? It's not like disarming me is going to do much to make me less lethal."

"Is that a threat?"

"More of an observation really."

Raptor spoke up before he could. "We're not giving up our guns though. If you have a problem with that…"

Several of the guards behind him started to raise their guns- and instantly had four guns and Bourne's Dreadshot pointed at them.

"You got a problem, you can talk to the hand." He quipped.

"Okay, be honest, how long have you been saving that one?" Raptor had to ask.

"I actually came up with it just now..._and I _should've _waited to use it, damnit._"

"Everyone, stand down." A turian appeared, and the guards somewhat reluctantly lowered their guns. Bourne lowered his as well, but kept his hand up.

_Need to tell him not to use that thing too often- if they don't know it's a weapon, that'll work a lot better._

"Your weapons will be returned to you at the end of your visit. Surely you realize this is just standard procedure."

"I realize plenty, and don't call me Shirley...aanndd none of you got that reference." Bourne sighed.

"You can either have our weapons, or you can have our credits." Raptor said, making a mental note to ask him later. "Your choice."

He glared at her, but motioned to the others. "Let them proceed. Our facility is more than secure enough to handle four armed guests."

"Moron." Bourne muttered as he turned around, barely loud enough for Raptor to hear.

"Outprocessing is this way- we're bringing Jack out of cryo and will release her to you once the funds clear."

Something occurred to Raptor just then, but she decided to wait to mention it to Bourne until Kuril wasn't there to overhear. Though by the way he was looking around, he might have already known it himself.

"Cell block 2- as you can see we keep a tight control over the population." Kuril said, gesturing to the window.

"Yeah, and each prisoners' cell is a self contained modular unit you can blow out the airlocks if they piss you off." Bourne said dryly. "I did my homework about this place."

"Oh?"

"Let's see, thirty cell blocks just like this one on the ship, thousands of criminals housed here in total, you used to be law enforcement on palaven before you came up with this idea, each criminal brings in a fee from their homeworld that you essentially use extortion to get, and Jack is somewhere onboard the ship." He paused. "Did I miss anything?"

"Were you reading that off a list inside your head or something? With the perfect memory?" Raptor asked.

He just smiled wryly in response.

"Let's move on then." Kuril said, somewhat uncomfortably.

"There must have been a few escape attempts, right?"

"In space? Where would they go?" Bourne answered Garrus before Kuril could.

"We still exercise extreme caution." Kuril said, glaring at the biotic. "These are dangerous individuals." He turned back away, not seeing the way Bourne rolled his eyes. "I'm going to confirm the funds from Cerberus cleared- out processing is just down this hallway, Jack will be waiting for you there."  
Raptor waited a count of five after the doors shut behind him before she spoke. "I don't' trust him." She said at almost the same time as Garrus and Bourne.

The three exchanged surprised looks for a moment.

"What tipped you off?" She asked them.

"There's a reason that turian slang for untrustworthy is barefaced."

"Yeah, and I meant what I said about looking into this place- overall bad vibe. Not to mention-"  
"Why would _out _processing be more _in_side the ship?" Raptor finished for him.

"Exactly. Plus...let's call it a gut feeling." He looked around again. "One other thing to note- Slade and Isaac knew we'd be on Omega, and when and why. Might be they'd also be here. Dunno how they'd sneak aboard a place with security like this, but worth keeping an eye open. I'm personally planning on keeping both open."

"Let's head for what they say is out processing then." Raptor said. "If this is a trap, we'll know soon enough. But since I don't know the real way around…don't suppose you've got schematics on this place?"

"Negative, security is a bit too tight for that. And I didn't think it was a good idea to bring the person who could potentially get in since she might be worth more money than Jack."

"So we're just going to walk into whatever trap Kuril may have prepared?" Miranda said skeptically.

"Glad to see you were paying attention." Bourne said, already walking down the hallway Kuril had indicated. "Besides- you know many cells that could hold _me?_" He spun on his heels, and was suddenly behind them. "And that's assuming I don't just smash through the thing."

"It's assuming you still have biotics." Garrus said dryly. "He'd probably have some sort of anti-biotic restraint ready."

"Good thing we've got a secret biotic then." He said, nodding his head towards Raptor as he teleported back to where he'd been and kept walking.

Raptor had to work to keep her face composed- she still wasn't used to that new addition to her body, and didn't think she would be any time soon. Thus far she'd gotten almost nowhere on her own, but didn't want to ask Bourne again. Nor did she really want to ask either of the Cerberus biotics. _Maybe 'Jack' actually would be my best choice…or literally anyone else onboard the ship._

* * *

I tried not to seem tense as we proceeded towards the "door". _If I'm wrong about Slade and/or Isaac not being here, that'd be the perfect place to ambush us from._

_Seems their style to show up when things are about to happen and make sure they happen completely differently- more proof they're from the real world, as if I really needed it._

I kept a knife in each hand as the doors opened, but instead saw only the other side of the cell. _Yes! Things aren't changing!_

_...Except that's not really that great either! _

"My apologies. The two of you are worth far more as prisoners than as customers. Drop your weapons and proceed into the open cell and you will not be harmed."

"...He just might be the dumbest person we've ever dealt with." Raptor commented, sniper rifle coming over her shoulder into position.

"He's got some competition, but he is not a weak contender." I agreed, activating the lashes as mercs started appearing in the doorway. I slammed them into the ground, creating a shockwave that tore into the mercs, sending them flying back, and leaving them wide open for Garrus and Raptor to dispatch.

"But he made one big mistake. He didn't trap us in with him." I smiled, activating my visor. "He trapped himself in with us."

"What vid did you steal that from?" Garrus commented.

"It was a book, actually…well, graphic novel, book, close enough."

"You, with a book? I don't see it." Raptor chuckled as we moved down the hallway, me taking the lead with my Dreadshot and Assassin.

"What? I read sometimes." I protested as I appeared behind a merc, slitting his throat before he could react.

"Fornax doesn't count." Raptor almost giggled even as she shot down a merc behind me.

"Especially not the Krogan edition." Garrus tagged on, mandibles split in a grin.

I backhanded the last merc, then shot him in the head to finish the job as I turned to them. "Uh- raise your hand if you've never dated outside your own species." My hand was the only one that went up...I didn't know if Miranda was just ignoring me, or she actually had; nor did I really want to know.

"...Just keep moving." Raptor growled.

"Yeah, that's what I thought." I said, making a mental note as I turned to see if I could hack into their extranet histories just for something to hold over them. _Be even funnier if I could change those histories to show them actually on a site like that…except if I did find something I don't know if I'd ever be able to look at either of them the same way again._

I tossed a knife at back of the tech's head as he tried to call for help. "Looks like this button would open every door on the cell block- only way I see to get Jack out of Cryo. Garrus, Miranda, either of you see any alternatives?"

He shook his head.

"We might be able to release only the cryostorage from another location, but Kuril's bound to have it heavily fortified by now." Miranda said.

"Do it." Raptor said. "Just be ready- if Jack is hostile, you're out best shot at taking her down."

_Dunno about that. _"Here's hoping we can talk her down first." I said, fingers moving across the keyboard. "Also hoping the mechs don't take her down."

She walked over to the window, and caught sight of the two Ymir Mechs.

"You could've mentioned that earlier."

"Nothing we could've done about them- walls are too thick to warp through, and the windows are giving me a reading on the visor- they're reinforced with kinetic barriers, which'd throw off my teleporting just enough I can't risk getting down there that way- head could end up inside a wall. But it should open that door over there." I nodded to the locked door behind us.

She looked out the window, and I did as well. I actually knew what to expect- hell, her appearance was spoiled in the damn trailers- but I was nonetheless curious. She had- quoth TV Tropes- 'cutscene power to the max' but was relatively weak in gameplay. I had no idea how the reality warping would handle that, nor how her skill and/or power would compare to mine.

"That's Jack?" Garrus commented as the chamber rose up.

"Remember Jason- her eyes are up there." Raptor commented with a chuckle.

I ignored that...though my eyes were drawn to her chest a little more than I liked; I'd usually stuck her in the DLC outfit right after recruiting her, than sometimes switched to her loyalty outfit after doing that mission. "I thought she'd be taller." I finally said, stepping away from the window slightly.

The two mechs noticed she was awake, and moved in her direction.

The others started to move, but I held a hand up. "Wait."

"Jason?"

"Just trust me on this one." I said, zooming in slightly with the visor.

Sure enough, she woke up, and ripped her restraints off, biotics glowing around her as she saw the mechs. She rushed forward and there was an impact that shook us even a floor above her.

"You might have some competition." Garrus commented.

"We need to get down there." Miranda cut off my reply, heading through the door. I was right on her heels, and quickly took the lead.

"I thought you said you couldn't warp through the walls?" Raptor deadpanned in response to the giant hole in front of us.

"Her power level appears to be above mine." _And thankfully, my standards are still high enough to not make a Dragon Ball joke...really oughta get around to checking that series out at some point. Last anime I watched was actually- Focus! _"But she doesn't seem to have fine control as I do- or at least she hasn't used it yet."

I put up a domed barrier casually as a rocket headed towards us. "Maybe we oughta focus on the mercs first?"

"You said you can't teleport through the glass back there-"  
"If I have to I can teleport in here, but I'd rather avoid it if possible; too much that can go wrong with three of you shooting."

She thought for a moment. "Take point and draw their fire. Don't worry about taking them down yourself, just get them somewhere that Garrus or I can take them down with headshots. Miranda, you're on fire support- take down shields or warp people so Bourne can detonate them."

"Got it." I said, dropping the barrier as we rushed into cover. I used a knife as a mirror, making a note to just put reflective panels on my armor so I could use those instead. _Hmm, they're aiming at right above cover- I'd be shot the instant I appeared if I just stood up...bet an airborne target would be harder to hit though._

_That, and this'll look awesome_. I thought, aiming the dreadshot directly at my feet as I crouched, dialing it up to full power. I rocketed into the air as it went off, and I did a flip in the air so I was facing them, then spun so I was upright and activated a lash, throwing the end towards a convict in the middle. It basically speared him in the chest, and I yanked on it, propelling me into him at highspeed, and as I charged on top of that, the impact basically made him explode. I was almost dripping blood as I stood up, all eyes on me. "So, who's next?"

A guard raised a rocket launcher an instant before his head exploded. I didn't want to risk charging any of them and intercepting a bullet from the others, so I called my Assassin into my hand and opened fire, relying mostly on barriers to stave off fire, charging into those that I could tell were out of the others' line of sight to replenish them.

_Man, this is great. No Slade, no Isaac, just a bunch of mooks to slay with hardly any effort...except for that mech. _I rolled under the rocket it fired at me, and put up a barrier to stave off its bullets.

"Only one of you this time you ugly sack of bolts" I growled at it as it got ready to fire another rocket. I charged into it before it could fire, sending the rocket arm in the air and making it miss. I ducked under its legs as it looked down at me, and stuck several mines from my Wasp to the back of it before it could turn. I charged at a merc on the bridge, and ducked behind cover as I triggered the mines. I heard the explosions, and launched a dark channel blindly before tossing a Flare after it.

I heard the detonation, and waited a count of three for the sound of the mech's explosion before swearing. _Damnit, that should've finished it off!_

I suddenly heard footsteps coming towards me, and had to roll to avoid an inmates improvised bat. I got to where I was in a crouch, still behind cover but able to move if I had to as I faced him- two buddies flanked him a moment later.

_Okay, no biotics for a while, can't stand up or the mech'll open fire on me, and I can't use the Wasp at this range unless I change the loadout from explosives…no problem._

A hand suddenly shot past my shoulder, and before I could react the arm was around my throat, cutting off my ability to breathe.

"Waste him! Quick!"

I thrust my elbow back, catching him in the stomach and making his grip loosen slightly. I grabbed a knife from my belt and triggered it, reversing it for a blind stab into him that let me get free. As the other three rushed me, I brought my hands to my shoulderblades and threw a knife from each, then grabbed more from my thighs and threw those as well.

I didn't have biotics to guide them, but at this range I didn't need them- one was caught in the throat, one in the eye and chest, and the other looked like he took one in the lung as he collapsed, unable to breathe. I finished him off with a more carefully aimed knife to the side of the head.

I wheeled around with another knife from my thigh as I heard a wheezing breath behind me, the man who'd attacked me from behind apparently still alive.

As I looked more closely though, I realized it wasn't so much a man- it was just a kid; sixteen, maybe eighteen at the oldest.

His eyes met mine as he reached desperately for something, hope in his eyes before light winked out of him and his hand fell limply to the ground, making his body shift slightly. I saw my knife had gone right into his lung, but because of the way I'd stabbed blindly I'd ripped it open, collapsing it. I realized a moment later my elbow had also gone into his diaphragm and probably damaged it, leaving him almost completely unable to breathe.

I half reached to retrieve it, then looked at his face and decided to leave it as I retrieved the others.

"Jason? Status!" Raptor's voice suddenly was in my ear.

"I'm fine- don't think I took the mech down though."

A single shot rang out in answer, and a moment later I heard the mech exploding.

"Luckily I'm here to pick up the slack."

"Right." I spared one last look for the kid's body before I forced it out of my mind. "Looks like we've got a ways more to go to catch up to Jack."

There was a pause, her obviously weighing something in her mind. "You're faster than any of us- could you catch her on your own if you didn't wait for us?"

I considered it as I waited for my biotics to come back. "If I didn't get taken down by the almost literal army between me and her, maybe. Kinda risky though to separate us."

"Not really. If this place falls apart any more, I'd rather have it so at least one of us can make it back."

"How's about we stick together and we both make it." I responded, feeling a tingling in the back of my neck as my biotics came back.

"We need to get her onboard-"

"We can separate later if we have to, but splitting now and rejoining later wouldn't be all that easy." I grinned. "Now are you guys coming or do I have to do this on my own?"

"...I...I don't even...we're on our way."

* * *

**T117: So, someone asked if I'd heard of Miracle of Sound...Yeah, of course I have. There was actually a 'fight like a krogan run like a leopard' reference in that thing Bourne doesn't know what I'm talking about with Spike.  
**

**)Are you ever going to explain that?(**

**T117: We'll see. Okay, next question is something about Bourne being overpowered...let me put it this way: Muhahahaha!**

**(...Dude, if you're going to laugh evilly, you gotta time it right.)**

**T117: I'm saying that him having those powers isn't going to necessarily make him invincible. Lips are sealed beyond that.**

**)And I wouldn't get 'every class' anyway. I think it's discussed at a different point, but Omni-tool attacks don't come as naturally to me as biotics. Hacking is as close to tech as I'd get...and yeah, he has me biotics only kinda just to help keep me not OP, and to differentiate me from...some other story, he was kinda vague on the details there.(  
**

***...were those the only two questions we can actually answer?***

**T117: Looks like...yeah, I'm not in a bad mood like last time, I'm just kinda stumped for what to talk about.**

**(What do dead trees have to do with anything?...Wow that was a stretch.)**

**)I think that's a good cue to wrap things up.(**

**T117: Yeah, Sayonara.**


	21. Psychotic Biotic(s)

Jack couldn't remember the last time she'd been part of a prison riot this big. Whoever the dumbass had been that'd let her out of cryo, she hoped someone had shot him in the head and made it quick.

She tore through another wall and sprinted down the corridor, looking for a hanger or an escape pod or some shit she could use to get the fuck off the damn prison ship. She had no idea who let her out, but she wasn't going to waste it.

She saw debris ahead and slid along the floor under it, smiling to herself at the two bastards down the hall that were about to have their shit pushed in.

One of them- a turian- noticed her first and yelled at her to stop. The Batarian hadn't seen her yet, so she took advantage of his surprise and slammed him against the wall hard enough to snap his neck. The turian's weapon was hardly raised before she slammed his dumb ass against a wall too.

She half raised her hand to wipe some sweat off her bare head as she looked out the window to try to figure out where the fuck she was- but instead it fell by her side in a fist.

She saw the logo on the ship parked outside, and it didn't take a fucking salarian einstein to figure out why she'd been let out. "Cerberus." She snarled.

She looked back the way she'd come, then the other way, and let out a primal scream of rage as she paced from one direction to the other, trying to decide what the fuck to do now; The assholes were probably waiting all over the place for her.

Something suddenly whizzed past her head, glowing blue, and she whipped her head in the direction it'd gone to see another guard falling to the ground, a knife sticking out of his face. It flew out of his skull a moment later past her, and she followed it to the hand of what looked like a bounty hunter in grey armor. He wiped the blade off on his forearm before sheathing it on his upper arm and looking at her impassively, eyes hidden behind some sort of combat visor.

"What the hell do you want?" She clenched her fists, ready to biotically tear him a new asshole if he so much as twitched.

"Well, a 'thank you' would be nice, seeing as I just saved you from a bullet to the back of the head."

"He was already dead, he just didn't know it. Now, what the hell do you want?"

He clicked off the visor, revealing a trio of fucked up red scars on his face. "Well, you aren't attacking me, so close enough to a thank you for now I guess. The name is Bourne. Jason Bourne."

She looked at the ship, then at him, noticing the red omega on his chest. "You a mercenary or something?"

"Ex Mercenary." He growled, as if he'd heard it a couple thousand times. "And if you're looking at the ship, I'm not part of Cerberus. Not exactly."

"Meaning they paid you to take me in or kill me?" She guessed, biotics flaring around her hand.

"Hah! No amount of credits in the galaxy would be enough for me to risk my ass by going after _you_." His mirth faded. "And even if there were, I wouldn't take money from a group as fucked up as Cerberus...just a ship and a crew from them."

"...What?"

"Long story short, I hate them nearly as much as you if not more. You ask, you're not getting anything more about why."

Jack had seen a lot of shit, but she'd never before seen someone with eyes that changed color, and his went from a glowing blue to a menacing glowing red as he thought over his next words.

"I'll say it plain." He said, eyes going back to blue. "I'm basically here to make you an offer. If you come along and join the combat team I'm putting together, you get damn near all the fights you can stand as long as you don't fight with the Cerberus crew itself. You get pretty much free room and board, and to sweeten the deal I'll toss in access to any files Cerberus has on you." He shrugged. "Or you can stay, in which case good luck finding another way off this hunk of junk."

Jack considered it a moment. Access to all the files on her...that meant names and places where she might be able to get some revenge and put her past behind her. It might be worth playing nice with those assholes for a little while...and it meant not having to worry about where to eat or sleep for a bit. _If it doesn't work out I can always hijack the ship and find somewhere else to blow shit up._

"You better be straight up with me." She said warningly.

"I'll give you the files once we're on the ship" He said. "I don't make a habit of-" he cut off the thought suddenly, visor activating again, and she turned to see guards running down the corridor from behind her.

A blue blur flew past her, and the 'ex merc' slammed into the one at the front before he slammed his fist into the ground, creating an explosion that sent the rest into walls. The one at the very back just got a knife through his eye.

He spun, and disappeared, leaving Jack blinking.

"You coming or not?" He suddenly said from behind her, making her spin around in surprise.

"How did you-?"

"Biotic teleportation." He raised an eyebrow. "I said you were the most powerful, but the reason I'm hesitant to call you the best-" he gestured to himself, then turned back the way he'd come. "Come on, if we go this way we can meet up with the others and get to the ship before this place implodes and/or explodes."

She shot another look at the ship before following after him, running enough that she was right beside him- she didn't want her back to him, but she also knew that at this point if she got behind him, he wouldn't trust her either and he might do something stupid before they were off the station.

He didn't seem to notice anyway, tapping his visor and apparently opening a comm channel. "Raptor, it's Bourne. Found our runaway, and I'm headed back to the ship. What's your status?...Well, you're the one that told me you could handle things solo...no, of course not, do you think I'm stupi- Ah, _don't _answer that. We want to try to meet up on the station or back on the Normandy?"

He was silent a few moments. "No, I guess I haven't tried that- alright, we'll walk then...Yeah, see you then." He clicked off the link.

"Raptor a code name or something?" Jack guessed, trying to peg whether this guy was military or some other group.

"No, believe it or not that's her legal name...not that _you've _got much room to talk about names." He added with a chuckle.

"Fuck you." She said, crossing her arms as they walked.

"Hmm, you this charming with everyone, or just the folks that save your ass?"

"Hey, I've got an idea. How about we play the quiet game?"

He just smirked in response, though a moment later his face went completely expressionless. She glanced ahead, wondering what'd caused the reaction, but she didn't see a damn thing.

Another glance back showed that he was still that way, so she figured he was thinking something over or just nuts. She could work with either.

* * *

Raptor glanced up as Bourne walked into the room, followed by the scantily clad woman she'd seen tear through a group of heavy mechs like it was nothing.

"Took you long enough." She commented.

"We had to take a few shortcuts, seeing as she caved in a few dozen ceilings." He jerked a thumb towards the other biotic. "Jack, this is Shepard, my co-captain."

"I'm sorry, you think _I'm _your co-captain?"

He turned off the visor so she could see he was rolling his eyes. "And the...woman in the catsuit is Miranda, who I can almost guarantee you're going to hate."

"Yeah, whatever. I'm here, so you better hold up your end of the deal."

Shepard raised an eyebrow. "What deal?"

"Hang on-" Bourne reactivated the visor, and looked right at Miranda. "Lawson, be a dear and get her all the files Cerberus has on her, will you?...Oh man, perfect memory or not I am so glad I got the look on your face recorded just now!"

"You- You're not authorized to do that!"

He crossed his arms, smirking slightly. "You realize I'm really only asking as a formality because it'd be a pain to have to hack through all the files? Might as well just hand them over and save us both a lot of time and trouble...also, I'd have bet you were going to make some speech about 'on this ship we follow orders' seeing as you were composing that memo about it, so consider it not a request."

Raptor could almost hear Miranda's teeth grinding as she marched past both of them. "Understood, _Lt._"

With the other two behind him, Raptor was the only one who saw his response to that, and blinked in surprise. For a half second after the Lt. comment, his eyes went crimson red- the same way they had whenever...She tried to force down a shiver, deciding she must've imagined it.

"So did he explain what we're doing to you?" She addressed Jack.

"Don't care, didn't ask. I just was promised plenty of fighting as long as I didn't fuck with the Cerberus assholes on board...I can tell he was right about not liking the cheerleader though." She said with a glance over her shoulder.

"Cheerleader? Oh man, I am so stealing that nickname." Bourne chuckled. "Probably take her a while to get the files-"

"Then you can get them to me when she's done. I'll be somewhere below decks- I don't like a lot of through traffic...keep your people off me- it'll be better that way." She said over her shoulder as the doors closed behind her.

"...Remind me why we think this is a good idea?" Raptor finally said to him.

"When did I ever say I thought it was a good idea? I think it's more of a neutral idea- not really bad or good." He shrugged as he leaned against the wall. "Not as if sanity is a common trait on this ship."

"...True, but-"

"But what? She's a maybe nuts-okay probably _more _than nuts- biotic who was raised in a lab to make the _ultimate _biotic...hell, she and I even have the same haircut."

"...You don't think...no, never mind."

"What?"

"...Do you think she and I might play for the same team?"

He blinked in surprise, eyes actually seeming to stop glowing. "Did you seriously just ask-" The rest of his sentence was unintelligible as he burst out laughing. "Oh Ahaha god Raptor ahaha- that's just...ahahahahah!"

She slowly clenched a fist, counting down in her head until he stopped laughing.

He shook his head, composing his face again even as he couldn't help the occasional half-giggle. "Why the hell would _you _ask that?"

"I was...considering asking her for help with the biotics, and wanted to know ahead of time if she might try hitting on me."

Bourne's face went more expressionless than usual, jaw slightly open.

"Blink twice if you're surprised about the hitting on me comment, thrice if you're surprised I'd ask her for help."

He blinked slowly, five times, then seemed to snap out of it. "I'm just...she...I've heard worse ideas I guess, just kinda caught me by surprise."

"It's not that you're not my best friend and the best biotic I know and all that-"

"Do you really think I'm so egotistical that you choosing someone else as a biotic teacher would cause me to be hurt deeply and utterly?"

She sighed. "It's just that...usually, when you're using your biotics, you seem pretty calm, or at least...what's the term, tranquil fury?"

"I suppose that's not inaccurate; though I'm often just pissed off when I use them, although that does give me less control- or else somewhere in the middle maybe. What's your point?"

"Well...I've only managed to use the biotics when I was pissed off, or had a lot of adrenaline going through me, or both. She definitely wasn't calm when she was tearing through things, so…"

"Like I said, I've heard far worse ideas...and _had _a few worse ideas...you're going to really have to work your magic to talk her into teaching you about biotics though...Not to go back to the whole 'team you play for thing' but man I wish Liara was around to help with that."

"I don't know if she could. Asari nervous systems are a lot different than humans, so the biotics would probably be different- they're sensitive in completely different places for instance."

His poker face cracked, and he teleported away, obviously to go laugh his ass off.

"...Yeah, you really could've worded that better Raptor." She muttered to herself.

* * *

The first thing that made Jack look up from the gun she'd found was clanging from the stairs to her right.

"So, your goal was to be as hard to find as possible or something?" The merc from before said as he walked into view- _Bourne? Yeah, think that was his name. _

"Guess it's a new concept to you." She snarked, gesturing to the stairs.

"That so?" He pointed at the set across from him, and she looked over to see what looked like some sorta coat and a gun lying on top of it. "Then how'd I get that there without you hearing?"

She gave him a confused look.

He shrugged. "I move pretty much completely silently unless I'm deliberately being loud- and I decided while I was bringing those down that that I better make some noise to warn you I was coming so as to not take you by surprise and get my head torn off."

He snapped his fingers, and they floated into the air, then over to her. He only moved his head to follow them, she noticed, the rest of him staying motionless.

"How long did it take you to figure out how to do that?"

"What, using the biotics without moving?" He shrugged. "Couldn't tell you."

She grunted, then looked at the junk she'd gotten. "What the hell type of gun is this?"

"Geth Plasma Shotgun- seems to be the most popular type of shotgun on the ship, but wouldn't be hard to trade it out with a more common type. Gets a bit more range, or if you need more power for up close, just hold the trigger to charge up the blast."

"And the coat?" She shifted back slightly, pushing her chest forward with a smirk. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing now?"

He kept his eyes on hers as he replied. "Ink won't stop a bullet. That jacket will. Had to guess on the size, but it oughta fit pretty close."

She shrugged the jacket on experimentally- though she left the pants and visor for later.

"You wanna go around the ship without it, I honestly am beyond caring. But if you go into combat, you better be wearing that thing. It looks like you've got enough scars without adding a couple bullet holes." He gestured to his own jacket. "Prefer heavier armor for combat myself, but this has come in handy a couple times on Omega."

"That where you're from?" She guessed.

He ignored that. "Anyway-" he reached into the jacket and pulled a couple data pads out of a pocket inside. "Managed to fit the files onto these." He levitated them over next to her. "Have fun reading."

"I'm not trying to entertain myself." She snapped.

"Well, you jumped awfully quick on the offer to get them."

"I'm looking for names, places- anyone who screwed with me pays."

He smirked. "Sounds easy enough." The smirk faded. "Speaking from experience though- really isn't."

"How the hell would you know what that's like?"

"You mean being raised in a lab, brought up to be nothing more than a weapon?" His eyes flashed to red for a moment, for the second time she'd seen. "If there's a single other person knows what that's like, it'd be me."

"Who was it with you?"

"Someone I killed. All I got in the process was a few new scars to remember him by- didn't exactly make me feel better, or even slightly satisfied." His hand absently went to the scars on his cheek.

"The hell are those from anyway?" She asked.

He realized his hand was up by his face and yanked it down, composing his face again. "Pissed off a turian with cybernetic enhancements in the claws; been over two years and the damn things still haven't healed completely."

"I figured it was that, or you cut yourself shaving."

"Why do people always say that?!" He threw his arms up in exasperation. "That or lawnmowers- always those two goddamn things! I _have _actual knife wounds, and none look like those!"

"Yeah, well some do." She pointed out a few scalpel scars on her arms. "Courtesy of your pals from Cerberus."

He grimaced. "Ignoring that second part- well, mine don't quite compare to all yours, but I did get a few from them." He gestured up his sides. "Went in and 'enhanced' a few internal organs with cybernetics- lucky Raptor managed to find me fore they screwed with my head...come to think of it, also got nailed in the upper arm by a Cerberus merc at one point."

"Well boo-hoo for you."

"You're the one who asked about the scars first." He pointed out, amused.

Jack half-sighed-half groaned. "Look, don't try to be my buddy; I need you for these files, you need me as a weapon."

He blinked, and his eyes changed color again- to purple this time. "Not as a weapon." He set his jaw as the eyes went back to blue. "I don't think of people like that. If I did, I'd be as bad as the assholes who put me together in the first place."

"What, you get raised in a lab too or something?" She asked sarcastically.

"Technically no- the body was already aged to maturity, they just stuck my mind into it once it was ready. After that...close enough to raising for me to hate them even in death."

She couldn't tell if he was telling the truth or just screwing with her head. "Stuck your mind into it?"

He seemed to be considering his answer a moment. "Eh, what the hell-" he brought up his omni-tool and did something with it. "That oughta disrupt the bugs for a while longer than they were." He half shrugged. "They've been trying to figure my past out for ages- no sense giving it to them. But yeah, science is kinda over my head, but they basically scanned my mind in as a copy of someone else's."

"Yeah right."

"That's not the kicker though- apparently I was just stubborn enough that they didn't want to take all the time conditioning me, so they stuck an AI into my head to try controlling me…" He held up his right hand, palm towards her. "Had to dig part of the tech out with a knife once I was free."

She saw a spiderweb of scars on the palm, but crossed her arms. "You know, if you're going to make up a story to try to get me to trust you, you could at least make it believable."

"Believe what you want." He said, lowering the hand. "Belief doesn't change what's true and what's not." He turned to go, and biotics glowed around him, before both abruptly disappeared.

"...Wonder if he could teach me that teleporting trick." She muttered to herself.

* * *

**(So, are you going to change the story to an M at some point? That was a lot of F-bombs that Jack dropped.)**

**T117: Honestly, I've considered it, though for reasons beside just that...but really, if people've read this far, I doubt the rating change would matter much, and it's not like this is the chapter they'd come in on.**

**)No, you don't want to change it because you don't want to lower the chances of new people discovering this story, because you're a review-slut.(**

**T117:I said 'reasons' plural pretty much exactly because of that. **

**(Yeah, that and since I regularly make jokes about killing babies and whatnot, a few f-bombs aren't going to change much.)**

**)Yeah, but you're not even in the story right now.(**

**(Hehe, exactly 'not right now'.)**

**T117: Iron, don't troll the audience. That's my job.**

**(...You know, I honestly wonder what a shrink would say about you for lines like that.)**

**T117: I wouldn't call it insanity so much as method acting.**

**(...Uh huh.)**

**)Okaaay, I'm outta here.(**

**(Yeah, good call.)**

**T117: Sayonara.**


	22. Pre-Mission Team Strategy Discussion

I pushed the button on EDI's terminal that would allow her to hear me. "EDI, is Chambers awake?"

"Not all crew members are as early to rise as you...but yes, she appears to be."

"Tell her I want to see her in my cabin as soon as she gets the chance."

There was a pause. "She wishes to know if it is because you finally decided to get a psychiatric evaluation."

I looked back over my shoulder, at my all but destroyed cabin- several floor panels were dented or shifted out of place, the glass above my desk was shattered, and it was a good thing I didn't buy any fish because the tanks were shattered too, all the water on the floor. My bed was the only thing intact, and the sheets were piled in the corner, sliced apart. "Yeah, let's go with that. Let me know when she's on the way up." I said, pressing the button that would keep the link open.

"Very well 'agent' Bourne."

I turned back to the destroyed room, and put my hand on my chin as I considered where to start. After a moment's thought I created a small singularity, and set it over the water and glass. A likewise small warp field created an explosion that atomized everything caught in it. I moved slowly and deliberately over the rest of the glass and flooded floor until that at least was dealt with. A glance at the metal tiles showed I wasn't going to be able to anything about them myself, so I just left them; they'd probably be a good 'symptom' for Chambers anyway, assuming she needed any more.

I sat down on the bed, amazed the thing was still mostly intact, and focused on what the hell I was going to say.

_A nightmare like this...I barely remember it, but what I do recall...what I just did to this place...it's a miracle I didn't blow a hull in the hull, or hit Raptor through the wall...also kinda weird she didn't wake up…_ "Say, EDI, is Raptor down on the range or something?"

"She is in the mess hall, apparently looking for the coffee Ms. Goto stole and took to her room."

"Huh, didn't figure her as a coffee type." I muttered. _Least I didn't wake Raptor up with all this. _

"Also, Miss Chambers will be in your cabin in approximately thirty seconds."

"Thank you." I didn't feel like walking over, so I picked up one of the pieces of the bed that had come off and used my biotics to move it over to the intercom and turn it off, then did another bug check to be sure I wouldn't be overheard.

I turned off the omni-tool as the scan showed there were none, and as if on cue the door to my cabin turned green as Kelly entered. She took a single step in, and stopped short, taking in the destruction.

I ruefully shrugged. "Yeah, if I was more in the mood for it I'd make some joke about remodeling, but…Yeah, I'm really not in the mood to make jokes."

She half gestured to the room. "What...what happened?"

"Nightmares. Woke up, and the place looked even worse than this." I held a hand to my temple. "And I barely even remember the damn thing now, which doesn't help the situation, or my mood."

She was shocked, but I was surprised by how quickly she seemed to get over it, moving over to take the seat from my desk and move it so she was directly in front of me- though still across the room, which I couldn't blame her for. "I thought you said something about a perfect memory?"

"_Almost_ perfect- there's two exceptions. And before I say another word, I want you to understand something. I've spent the past 2 years and however many months and days its been -since I don't feel like counting just now- trying to keep the latter exception a secret from the galaxy at large. I'm only considering telling you because I feel I can trust you, and because I don't think I _need _to say what I'll do if that secret gets out because of you. That includes the 'crewmember emotional reports' I know you're secretly writing for The Illusive Man." I casually flicked a knife into hand and set it on the couch across from me with my biotics.

She gulped, but managed to sound pretty calm. "I understand- I wouldn't talk about a session anyway, thanks to patient doctor confidentiality."

I searched her face, but whether it was my threat or she really meant the latter, I was satisfied. "Like I said- I only considered it because you're more trustworthy than most of the others on this ship...the first exception to the perfect memory are dreams. They don't imprint perfectly like my real experiences, and so they become even more faded in comparison to real memories- probably twice as much so as the average dream for a normal person."

I took a deep breath, and held it for a count of five before I took what I considered the third greatest risk I'd ever done. "The second thing I can't remember...is the majority of my past."

"...I don't understand what you mean." She said, confused.

"What memories I _retain _are perfectly preserved. But...I don't retain memories of anything before the day I met Raptor on Eden Prime."

"...Oh...That's…"

"Unexpected?" I said dryly. "Told you there was a reason I'd kept it so secret."

"...but, you've talked about your past-"

"Most of the backstory I've given the public/council/Alliance/Cerberus is made up, or at least exaggerated. Some of it is true, and that's where I think the nightmares are coming from. I don't truly remember much of it- or really any of it- but I know from secondhand sources some of what happened. Built the fake backstory off what I knew- truth in a lie makes a lie more effective and all that."

She sat back in the chair, and I could see her trying to work the implications of what I'd just said.

"So, what was the nightmare about?" She asked. "Do you remember anything?"

"Enough of it to guess on the rest...I think it was one of my attempts to escape from the facility I was being held at." I shook my head. "Backstory? Parts that are true are the bits where I was genetically engineered, and...grown, in a lab. Like a bad combo between Jack's origin story and Miranda's."

"Do you know who was responsible?"

"Yes. Which is why I sent him to hell with a well placed biotic attack clean through the chest."

"I see...who was it?"

I debated for several moments whether or not to answer truthfully. "Does it really matter? He's dead, and I doubt he's got his own Lazarus Project going."

"Do you feel you've moved past it with his death?"

"...Not really." I admitted. _Well, if I've gone this far..._

"Perhaps telling me who it was could shed some insight into-"  
"Saren."

"...I see."

"Glad you do, took me ages to figure it out. Only figured it out because- and I stress again that if you share this info heads are gonna roll- because prior to my escape, he implanted what was a sort of...AI second personality into my head...two of them, actually, but one was an ally while the other just generally made my life hell."

I had literally never seen the expression she gave me in response.

"...Yeeeaaaah, maybe should've left that part for later…"

"Saren...implanted you with AI to keep you in control?"

"That's the layman's version of it, yeah…Like I said, I don't know the fine details or the tech BS, but the second AI managed to break the first's control long enough to crash the ship we were in on Eden Prime, and in the process it disabled both of them, letting me take control again." I grimaced. "Then the Cipher on Feros weakened me enough for Iron to take over."

"Iron? That was the name of the AI?"

"It was at least what I called him- or what he called himself, either way. At the briefing after Feros it managed to take over, and...one on seven, me/him vs. Garrus, Wrex, Tali, Liara, Ashley, Kaidan, and Raptor...they only managed to subdue...us, because it was toying with them, wanting to make their deaths slow and enjoyable. Thing was a blasted serial killer I swear."

"The others knew then?"

"Just those seven. After that I didn't have a choice to tell them what truth I could...Tali and I have the matching scar from it. She threw the knife from her boot into my arm, probably saved Garrus's life." To emphasize my point, I rolled that sleeve up to show the scar. "It shocked us both enough that I managed to wrest control away- but before I got full control completely, Iron yanked the blood covered knife out of our arm and threw it into her gut. It's a damn miracle she survived."

She was silent for several moments. "So, was this...Iron, part of your dream?"

I thought for a moment about what I could vaguely remember and shook my head. "Not last night's, but he's a common element. Either wresting control of my body away again to force me to kill my friends with my own hands, or just tormenting me with my own failures."

She processed that as well. "Well...how long have you been having these dreams?"

"I don't know exactly- I've been having similar nightmares for most of what I can remember- starting mostly after Iron reawoke after we recruited Liara on Therum."

She frowned. "I thought you recruited her before you went to the Feros colony?"

"Huh? What does...Oh, right. Yeah, Iron was able to regain control after Feros, but Therum is when he first...woke up- probably because I went comatose thanks to being stabbed by that poisoned blade."

"Woke up?"

"I could hear his voice in my head, and talk back to it, but he couldn't take control then. I 'met' him in what I thought was a nightmare, but then I heard him again when I was awake. And I know it sounds like I'm just a schizophrenic, but it was an actual outside source...he actually ended up Raptor's head on Noveria- some sorta failsafe transfer thing- and he took over Saren's body on the Citadel." I pointed at my face. "Courtesy of his slash Saren's Cybernetic talons."

"So then, you've had these nightmares for over two years?"

"Might be a little bit less- I dunno when these specific types of dreams started compared to other nightmares. I can tell you've gotten worse though. Used to be the worst I could expect was waking up in a cold sweat...guess those started sometime between Noveria and Illos, best I can figure. Morning we hit Omega, I woke up and teleported to the other side of the room with my biotics ready to warp something. And this morning-" I gestured to the state of my room.

"Well, if I were to make a diagnosis...I'd say PTSD is more than likely."

I leaned back slightly, blinking.

"You weren't expecting me to say that?"

"No, it's just...I dunno, I guess I was holding on to some type of hope that you wouldn't." I sighed. "So what now?"

"Well, the two normal ways to treat PTSD are psychotherapy, or 'talk therapy', which is more or less what we've been doing, and medications. But as I understand it, medications wouldn't work on you?"

I nodded. "Between my cybernetics and the genemods, it'd take insane amounts of the stuff to even affect me slightly, and only for a short time."

"Then the only real way I can help you is to continue these sessions...and perhaps for you to refrain from active combat for a few-"

"That part isn't going to happen." I cut her off. "I can handle mercs, mechs, or what have you- a firefight isn't the same as running down a seemingless endless hallway while dodging lasers or feeling your legs burning from being cut open with plasma scalpels."

"You brought me up here because you needed a psychiatrist." She said surprisingly firmly.

"Yeah, but combat may be one of the more stabilizing things I've got. It's risky, sure, but a battle field is the one place I'm most confident and sure of myself."

"Which says a lot more about you...alright, if the symptoms don't get worse, and you continue these sessions, I won't talk to Shepard about this. And I wouldn't mean your secrets, just that you need to take a break while you deal with some issues."

I nodded after a moment. "Alright, fair enough."

"Though I would suggest you wear an anti-biotic restraint at night if you can."

"That...I don't know, it might lessen the damage to the ship, but I rely on my biotics a lot, so if I don't have them in the dream or something-"

"Then I can help you work through that as well."

I grimaced, but nodded reluctant agreement.

"So, I suggest we meet every morning before missions- and I assume you'd prefer to meet in here?"

"That, or we meet in your office but I check the place for bugs before every session."

She bit her lip, considering. "It would probably be better to meet in here- if you're checking for them before the session you're likely to be more stressed, which wouldn't help your mood."

"...Huh, didn't consider that." I admitted. "Alright, then yeah, probably up here."

"Well, you seem to be at least a little more relaxed now then when I came in."

"...What do you- I do have the poker face still, don't I? I mean, I normally have to like focus on smiling or whatever to turn it off, and then it goes back right back on."

"Your body language isn't so controlled though, and I'm trained to look for things there."

"Yeah, but I thought I'd gotten more of a handle on that." I frowned.

"Okay then, I suppose you should probably get breakfast and get ready to hit Korlus to recruit Okeer."

"Alright- you can leave the door unlocked behind you, I'm going to tell Miranda I need some techs in here to repair the floor and walls, probably say I did it just to annoy her...might smash out the rest of the glass on the desk though, kinda like that look." I shrugged, and teleported.

* * *

"You know, for a guy who can teleport, you'd think he'd be more on time." Garrus commented as the rest of the group waited for Bourne in the conference room.

Raptor nodded agreement, keeping half an eye on Jack as she paced back and forth. She'd decided to wait to ask for any help with the biotics until she was more...integrated with the rest of the team. "I'd send someone up to check on him, but I get the feeling that if I did he'd be in here the second that person was in the elevator."

The doors finally opened, and Bourne stepped into the room already in full armor. "Sorry I'm late- had to do some last minute gun maintenance."

"What sort?" Jacob asked.

"Painting the thing black- no offense to the Turian military, but orange and white just clashes with my armor."

"...You're telling me you kept us waiting so you could make your M-13 black?" Miranda asked in disbelief.

"No, I also had to paint my Executioner Pistol."

Raptor's response was simply to facepalm.

"Oh, like you haven't done similar things with your guns- not to mention what happened that time before we hit the geth base on Zesmini-"

"If you tell that story now or ever, those guns you just painted are going where the sun doesn't shine." She growled at him.

He rolled his eyes. "Alright, now that we're all here, let's figure out our plan for Korlus- place is a merc breeding ground, and it's more than likely they won't be happy to see us."

"I suggest you take more than the usual team of four." Miranda put in, getting a nod from Garrus.

"Could take two teams- one lands on one side, one lands on the other and works their way in." Jacob suggested.

"Not an option- had EDI do a scan from orbit, and there's really only one practical landing ground. Anywhere else it's too far to walk, or else they'd shred us before we got close. And before someone suggests the stupid Hammerhead, the answer is no." Bourne said, rubbing his temples. "Mako I would actually consider it, but that thing can't take enough abuse to risk it."

"Hammerhead?" Shepard asked.

"Also, I don't hate anyone here enough to subject you to your driving." He said, looking at her with a smile.

"Which one of us ran into that wall back on Illos?"

"Let me offer this as a counterpoint- raise your hand if you've never turned a vehicle _upside down _while driving it." His hand went up mockingly.

"How did you two ever get anything done?" Jacob asked.

"Beats me." "No idea." Both shrugged.

"Anyway-" Raptor said, looking around the room as she brought up a small model of the base on the table "Miranda's got a point. I suggest we break into an advance team- which of course he'll lead, and a support team, which will hang back and cover their backs with sniper rifles."

Bourne nodded thoughtfully as he looked at the base, and apparently missed the looks he got- including one from Raptor- as his eyes suddenly turned a bright purple. "So, sniper team would obviously be you, Garrus and Zaeed, but for my advance team- Jack would be the obvious choice, but-" He looked at her. "Would you be able to work with...okaaaay, what is up with the weird stare?... make that stare_s_ plural?"

"Um," Raptor coughed into her hand. "Jason, your eyes are...kinda...purple."

"What."

"Yeah, before when you were talking to me they went Red too- how many colors do those things turn?" Jack asked, sounding kinda weirded out.

"...What?!" He exclaimed as his eyes went back to their normal blue.

"Okay, now they're back to normal." Raptor said, tensing up slightly.

"Why...Argh- bet anything Cerberus or Hephaestus fucked up with the cybernetics and activated those redundant sets of implants. Long story, don't feel like getting into it." He said as the others opened their mouths. "Anyway, my question, Jack was would you be able to work with the Cerberus agents?"

"They don't fuck with me, I won't aim at them."

"...Okay, probably as good as I'm going to get. So I'll take Lawson, Jacob and Jack for the assault team- should be able to set off plenty of biotic combos, and she can take down shields if we need it."

Garrus said something under his breath, which made Bourne look over at him, and reluctantly nod. "Alright, you six grab your gear and head for the shuttle bay. Mordin and Kasumi, you guys just do what you normally do I guess...but Kasumi, if you steal the coffee again, I swear I'm going to kick your damn door in and take it back."

She just grinned and cloaked, apparently following the others out the door when they left. Garrus and Shepard were the last people in the room, and she stopped Bourne as he left with a biotic pull- which had the effect of making him land on his ass.

"Oww. Okay, points for getting that right, but you could've just been 'hey, Jason, you wanna wait up a sec?"  
She glared at him in response. "Did you know your eyes were going red or whatever?"

He held up a hand, and did a quick bug scan. "Huh, you have Garrus or Kasumi take care of that already?"

"You really like keeping secrets from people, don't you." Garrus said flatly.

"I can see where this is going- Iron and Hero are dead. Deceased. Expired. Expunged. Erased. Pushing up daisies. Six feet under. No longer in my head." He shrugged. " Like I said, odds are the cybernetics being rewired or upgraded messed with things enough to bring the color changes back online...when were they red?"

"Back when we first brought Jack onboard, Miranda called you Lt. Bourne and I thought I was seeing things when they flashed red…kinda like just now when I called you Lt. Bourne."

"Okay, yeah, sorta saw it that time...Well, that might make sense- if those were linked to anger or aggression or something...why would they have gone purple though?" He said, thinking, and the other two exchanged a look as his eyes went that same color.

"Wasn't Hero more...focused?" Raptor asked.

"What, you mean like calm or collected? Yeah, most of the time I'd say that's accurate enough. Why?"

"Because when you were thinking just now they went purple."

"...Damnit, of all the side effects from those two, I would not have picked fucking technicolor eyes...especially since it now means I'm officially ahead of you or Zaeed in terms of weirdness...Timmy's are still weirder though, we agree on that, right?"

"Don't...well, yeah, they are, but don't change the subject."

"There is no subject here." He said flatly. "You're worried about Iron or Hero resurfacing or something- and with good reason. But take a good look-" he pointed at the scars on his face "- and ask yourself if you really think I'd keep it a secret if they did."

"If you thought you could handle them without help, you would." Garrus said.

"Last time I did that, Tali ended up almost dead, and the rest of you completely got the piss beat out of you- and that was with the psychopath holding back. I am _not _repeating that mistake." His eyes burned red as he said it. "...My eyes are fucking crimson right now, aren't they."

"Yep."

"...You know, if I could figure out how to control that, I would be even better at interrogations and whatnot."

"Yes, because the scarred face and blue glowing eyes aren't enough already." Garrus snarked.

"Well, not all of us have the advantage of a naturally ugly and terrifying face like you did."

"Geez, Jacob was right- it is amazing we ever get anything done." Raptor shook her head. "Let's get going before Jack rips a hole in the hull or something."

"You're not the one who's going to have her watching your back."

"Yeah, that was your idea though."

"Yeah, and nobody said it was a bad one!"

"That's because I enjoy breathing." Garrus chuckled..

"Whatever- you guys want to take the express, or the elevator?"

"What do you mean express?" Garrus asked.

He grinned in response, and before Raptor could do more than blink he grabbed them both and biotics flared around them before they disappeared from the room.

"...Never...ever...do that again." Garrus said as he swayed on his feet.

Raptor's response was more direct: she smacked him in the back of the head, or rather tried to since he just ducked under it.

"Dibs on the window seat." He said, teleporting into the shuttle.

"I think the better question than how we get anything done, is how he's kept himself alive this long." Raptor muttered as she walked over to it.

* * *

**T117: For the record, I did a little bit of research into PTSD so I tried to be realistic with this, but at the same time I'm not exactly an expert on the subject.**

**)Yeah, but you were confident enough to say I have it.(**

***Well, we always knew you were crazy. Now we just have solid proof.***

**)Don't you have a show to go watch and ogle the topless guys?(**

***Nah, I'm going to wait till Friday when they're both on Hulu.***

**T117: Both what?**

***Flash and Arrow.***

**T117:...I knew there was something coming up I was looking forward to...though not for the same reasons as her, obviously.  
**

**)How exactly did she know that while you didn't?(**

You do realize he knew about both but was simply using her as a way to bring it up?

**)Yeah, that's my point. At least Iron's enough of a nutjob it almost makes sense when he's completely detached from him.(**

I suppose.

**T117: Anyway, since Destiny's been getting boring, time to sign off and go-**

**(WAIT WAIT WAIT- Destiny's been getting ****boring****?)**

**)I know it's a new concept to you, but some of us get tired of killing the same stupid boss over and over again.(**

**(...It's like you're typing things, but in an order that makes no sense. Did you have a stroke or something?)**

**T117: I'll probably play it more when the expansions are out, or come back to it after a while. I've done the same thing with Halo or ME3 multiplayer where I get burned out and go to a different game for a bit.**

**(...Seriously, how get bored at kill something at all?)**

**T117: Yeah, that's our cue to leave. **

**)I'm outta here.(**

***I should go.***

Farewell

**T117: Sayonara.**


	23. The True Fear

"Would it honestly kill you to wait for us to land the damn shuttle instead of teleporting out of it?!" Raptor's voice screeched in my ear. I activated the visor- Paradox, as she'd named it- and scanned the area with a few different spectrum modes.

"Fine." I glanced up, did some quick calculations, and jumped, reappearing in the same seat I'd just left.

"...That _isn't _what I meant." She groaned, facepalming.

"We could throw him out instead." Garrus suggested. "It's not like he hasn't fallen higher and survived."

"Please don't tempt me." She groaned as the shuttle landed, and I again teleported out.

"Alright, Jack, you take the left. Jacob, you get Right. Miranda, hang back a little in the middle, be ready to give fire support, help us with combos, or take down shields."

The rest of them piled out of the shuttles, and I could feel Raptor's glare boring holes in the back of my skull. "Garrus, you're on the right, Zaeed you're on the left, and I'll take the middle so I can shoot Jason if he says or does anything else that he deserves to be shot for."

"Geez Raptor, you wanna take a chill pill? Matter of fact you oughta take...the whole...bottle…" I trailed off slightly as another of those odd flashbacks hit me, but it was quickly shaken away as a bullet whizzed by my ear close enough I felt the rush of air from it.

"I'm sorry, would you like to repeat that, or would you just like to get moving?"

"I'd go with the second choice." Jacob whispered as he took up position.

"Yeah, she doesn't seem like the type to fuck around." Jack agreed. "Maybe she and I can get along after all."

I just grabbed my Assassin with my right hand, and my Executioner Pistol in the other. _So besides these two, I've got the Locust and the Geth Plasma Shotgun- should be light enough that I can use my biotics pretty consistently, but heavy enough I can do some serious damage even without them...glad I was able to cannibalize some parts from my other guns to decrease the cooldown on the Executioner, or I would've had to leave the damn thing on the Thermal Clip system. Wish I could've taken the M13 too, but that would've been too heavy._

"Just remember to watch where you're aiming- I don't plan to teleport around as much, but I might have to if things get too hot."

Jacob opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off as a loud voice echoed across the area. "There is only one measure of success! Kill or be killed!"

"Great, it's going to be one of _those _missions." I snarked. "I mean, who the hell broadcasts canned orders over a damn intercom?"

"I already want to kill this bitch." Jack agreed as we moved forward. I stayed slightly ahead of the others, since I had the most protection with my actual armor and kinetic barriers, on top of the biotic barrier I could throw up if I had to.

"Being hired is merely the beginning! You must earn your place in the mighty army we are building!"

"For crying out- does one of you want to kill those bloody speakers?" I muttered at the sniper team over the comm.

"Very much so. But since that would just give away our position that much sooner, we'll just have to deal with it."

I grunted an acknowledgement as we moved forward. _Guess it's better than Iron's voice...slightly._

I caught a blip on Paradox's radar, and held a hand up to halt the squad. "Contacts...looks like four of them."

I motioned for the others to stay put as I crept forward silently. "Make that five." I whispered over the comm. "Probably should try to take at least one alive for info."

"Agreed- we're too far back to get a shot though...Damnit, switch to assault rifles and move up with them." Raptor barked to the others. "There's too many corners and wrecked ships for this plan to really work."

"Want us to wait for you or take them down now? I can drop four on my own, let alone with these three backing me."

"Might as well take them down and we'll catch up."

"Works for me." I said, storing the guns. "Alright, looks like their shields are down, probably to save power...or because they're idiots, I don't care. Lawson, slam the one on the far left. Jack, Jacob, overcharged plasma shots on the two to the right. I'll deal with the other two." I drew both my boot knives. "You in position?"

"Say the word." "Affirmative." "These fuckers are dead."

"3...2...1...Now!" I stood up and threw the knives, catching the one on the left in the throat, and the one in the middle in the kneecap, causing him to fall to the ground. The others looked at me in time to be blasted with plasma or slammed into the ground. I took out my Assassin and tapped them in the head just to be safe as I approached the one on the ground. He tried to scramble away, fumbling for a pistol I just called into my free hand and crushed.

I heard the others arriving, and they surrounded the merc.

"There are two ways this can play out. Either you can talk to her-" I gestured to Raptor- "Or you can _talk _to me." I called the knife out of the dead merc's throat and spun it around between my fingers. "Your call."

"Screw you! I'm not telling you anytaaanaaa!" I threw the blade into his other knee.

I clicked my tongue as I pulled my other big knives from my shoulders. "Really not a very smart move."

"You can talk, or he can keep sticking you full of knives until he gets bored, which would be a very long time. And he carries a lot of knives." Raptor said, kneeling down next to him. "Personally, I think we ought to just shoot you and move on if you can't tell us anything, but you know how _some _guys are with their hobbies…"

"Yeah, this coming from the chick who _collects _sniper rifle scopes." I made up on the spot.

"Oh, and your sorting your knives by sharpness and 'pointiness' isn't the same deal?" She shot a lie back.

"No, no, it's stabbiness and painfulness- sharpness and pointiness are secondary concerns. Here, if you want I can show you the difference on this guy."

"Alright, alright! What do you want to know?"

She smirked slightly. "We're looking for a Krogan Warlord named Okeer. Any idea where he'd be?"

"Who? You already know more than I do. I just kill the crazy ones from the labs."

"Meaning?" I gestured with a knife towards his hand, which he quickly brought in closer to himself, tucking both under his armpits.

"She wants him to make some kind of army, but the Krogan he makes are insane! More than usual! It's total crap! I'm getting paid to put down Krogan, not get stabbed by some asshole with scars!"

"Okay, 'the asshole with scars' can _shoot _you instead if you'd prefer. Or use biotics, or I could borrow a grenade from the 'old guy with scars'." I pointed at Zaeed with a laugh that I made sound a more than a little insane.

He scrambled back as well as he could with two knives in his legs. The radio crackled before he could reply. "Outpost four? Jedore wants us to move- we need coordinates on that krogan pack."

He blinked in surprise before I pulled him into the air biotically, and hovered him in front of the radio.

"I can end your life a dozen different and extremely painful ways if you don't get rid of them." I smiled at him. "I suggest you get rid of them."

"Uh, patrol...last group dispersed. Lost sight a few minutes ago."

"Dispersed? Man, Jedore's going to be pissed, she wanted a-" he cut off suddenly, and I had the sense that he was spinning around, or at least bringing a gun into position.

"Ask him what's wrong." I said quietly, dropping the smile.

"Something wrong?" He echoed.

"Nah, just Maloney jumping at shadows again. Guess I can't blame him though with Krogan running all over the-" He was cut off with a sudden gasp, and I heard gunfire from his side.

"Damnit, Krogan must be-" I cut the merc off with a strike to the throat, not enough to shut him up for good, but enough that I could listen closer. I felt my hand clenching into a fist as I recognized one sound, accompanied by the sound of breaking bones.

"What are we waiting for? Let's waste him and get moving." Jack said impatiently.

I suddenly heard the radio being picked up, and knew before the voice spoke who it would be. "Hello _Jason_."

"Slade." I growled.

"Oh come now, is that any way to great the guy who just took out this patrol for you? Just for that, you get all the rest of them...and if you get past them, and the Krogan...well, you didn't exactly do very well when it was just me or just Isaac. Think you can handle both of us together?"

"Let me put it this way-" I slammed a fist into the panel, obliterating it, and then hit the merc over the head, splitting his head open. I pulled the knives out of his knees and stuck them back in my boots, swearing strongly the entire time in both english and occasionally prothean ...somehow.

"He had a point." Miranda muttered. "Both of them at once sounds difficult at best."

"It's seven on two." Jack replied, glaring at her.

"I've _beaten _seven on _one _before." I said, glancing at Garrus and Raptor as I tapped my arm meaningfully. "And I was holding back like these two wouldn't be...risk a or risk b. Scrap the mission, or meet them head on."

"...We can't afford to let them scare us off." Raptor finally said. "These two are close quarters fighters like you, aren't they?"

"Not sure, I think Slade is, from what I could tell from last time. Isaac seems like he can do CQ or long range."

"I can do range better." She said, swinging her sniper rifle over her shoulder. "That time you were talking about, it was close quarters, and I didn't have my baby with me."

I grit my teeth as I considered it. "Alright- but be careful. They both pack a wallop, trust me."

"What, their faces are fucked up enough to-" I rounded on Jack with a furious glare, biotics around me, and red as blood.

"Those two were genetically modified to be faster, stronger and maybe smarter than a normal human. And they were trained their _entire _lives to be weapons."

I turned to the rest of them. "In other words- this might be one case where it's better to overestimate them than underestimate them."

"Then how come they ran with their tails between their legs both times?" Zaeed pointed out.

"Because they were playing it safe and overestimating _me_." I stated flatly, face going to its normal expressionless mode again. "Slade's plan was to kill me with a gunship- which I destroyed. Isaac brought backup, and only got me with a lucky shot... Frankly, the only reason _I'm _considering going against them is that I've got backup."

"And if they also have backup?" Miranda pointed out.

"Then my backup can kill theirs." I replied, as I turned away. "Come on- we've got plenty to deal with before we even get to them." I grabbed my Assassin, biotics flaring around my other hand as I walked. "And we _are _going to deal with them. Today, here, now."

"Uh, Jason, if you were going for the badass look, it would work a lot better if you weren't going back the way we just came."

I stopped dead, and actually looked around this time.

"...Okay, how the hell did even I do that with a perfect memory?"

My response came in the form of several simultaneous facepalms.

* * *

"They've been through here." I said quietly as we approached the area where the tank grown Krogan should have been, where there should have been a wall of metal blocking our way. There was no sign of either.

I motioned for the others to halt as I cocked my head, listening, and also thinking. _What is with these guys? They want to kill me, yet...they've almost helped us in some ways. They took care of the Vorcha on Omega, or the mercs before that. Here, they've cut the number of mercs down significantly, despite their earlier comment._

_If these guys are from the real world...then why are they against us at all? They've got to know who Shepard is, that if she fails the galaxy is screwed...unless they're not against her, just me._

I nodded to myself. _That actually might make sense, but...what would I have done to make them this way? I remember them from before- or at least I would, if not for the amnesia. Point is, they must've been friends once, in the 'real' world. So why are they out for blood now?...and what could they tell me about myself if given the chance?_

I shook the thought away, but couldn't completely suppress it. "Only way forward is through there."

"Au contraire mon ami-" I turned in time to see all the others on the ground, KOed, Slade and Isaac standing over them, the latter with a sword, the former activating his blade armor.

"That's the only way for them." Isaac continued, spinning his sword in his hand.

"The only way forward for **you **is to hell."

I smiled slightly. "You guys have the stealth built in too eh?"

"We also set up a couple...well, the science would go over your head, but they're pretty much EMPS for organics. But seeing as electricity never seemed to work on you so well…" Isaac half shrugged.

"This way will be more fun anyway." Slade said, and I knew he was grinning behind his helmet.

They stepped away from each other, and I could tell no further words would be exchanged, only strikes, bullets, and blood splatters.

_Need to take Isaac out first- or keep him between me and Slade...he's going to be less durable, but with his stupid drones and tech he can put me on the defensive too easily. Slade's got the tougher armor, and the flamethrowers for up close, so I have to be careful with him too._

I jumped and teleported as Slade charged forward, appearing in the air behind Isaac and kicking him in the back of the head as I twisted so I teleported again and appeared in front of him, hitting him with the dreadshot right in the face and sending him flying.

I turned to see Slade coming right at me, and I reacted on instinct, aiming the hand at the ground and using it to rocket over his head, using my biotics to land on my feet. _At least his armor seems to make him slower than I am- and speed may be my one advantage here. I don't know what all this guy can do, but he's bound to know plenty about me, especially since I've used the dreadshot and lashes in front of him now, so the gauntlets...wouldn't...give me…_

I spared a look at my right hand, and barely managed to dodge the blast of fire that emerged from his arms as a result. _No- I can't stoop to that level. Even if I did, I don't know that I _could _influence their minds. If they're like mine, if they had to resist something like Iron…_

As I took a step back, I suddenly tripped, and I saw Isaac's blade rushing through the air where my head would've been if I hadn't. I managed to roll so I was on my feet again, and blast him with the dreadshot before he could react. It was weak, but it was enough to send him off balance so I could charge him and completely recharge my barrier.

Slade's flamethrowers were instantly eating away at it, and I put up a larger domed shield to hold the worst of it off. I furrowed my brow as I tried to think of some strategy to deal with them, and suddenly noticed the shield had gone purple.

Slade and Isaac seemed to notice a moment later as well, as both pulled back. "Damnit, I thought the other two were dead?" Isaac muttered to him, either forgetting my enhanced hearing or simply unaware of it.

_Wait. If they know about Hero...then they've got to know about Iron, and maybe I can get another edge on them. _I glanced at Shepard and the others, somewhat glad they were out of the way, and still KOed. _Be a hell of a lot easier than trying to explain this. _

"If they are dead, then he'll join them soon enough." Slade whispered back, biotics flaring around his hands weakly.

"Do you really think I'd be killed by this fool so easily?" The sound of my voice made his biotics disappear as if I'd slapped a biotic restraint on him, and I let the shield fall as I created a large orb of energy in either hand, blood red.

` _If this doesn't work, I'll be pissed at myself for destroying my throat like this. _I thought before I continued in Iron's voice, focusing all my rage into my biotics so they'd stay red. "You idiots stand less chance against me than he would."

"...Fuck." Both said at once, unconsciously taking a step back.

"Oh, that's right- you two know what I'm capable of. Well, least it saves me the trouble of having to _explain _it like I did with Bourne." I grinned madly, though I doubted it was on par with one of Iron's smiles. "So, would you like to start running now, or-" I charged Isaac mid sentence, and he went flying back even further than I'd expected.

_Must've been off balance or something. _I turned in time to see Slade's fist coming at me, batarian gauntlet surrounding it. I threw myself backwards into a charge, and he missed me by a mile.

"Too little too late." I laughed, aiming the dreadshot and letting loose with half my barrier power at once.

He barely managed to dodge to the side, and I quickly created a whip in each hand and started swinging them in his direction, also creating biotic shockwaves in the process.

It sent him on the defensive, though I'd hardly expected it to so much as send him off balance.

_Worry about the why later- need to take at least one of these yahoos out before they run, or take one of the others as a hostage..._I spared a glance at them, and was surprised to see an energy shield up in front of them. _And judging by the fire in front of them, it was set up so they wouldn't get roasted by his flamethrowers or smashed by my biotics...well, that gives credence to the theory they're only after me, but it doesn't answer why._

"So, you know, I gotta ask- what'd Bourne do to give you two such hate ons for him?" I asked in Iron's voice, hoping that I wouldn't have to continue the ruse much longer for my vocal chords' sake

"Well, you know, nothing has more hate than a scorned lover."

At these words, Slade and I both stopped, turned, and looked at Isaac with probably the same incredulous expression.

"... do you mean you and Bourne were a thing, or was there some liaison with all three of you or- Gah! Brain Bleach! Brain Bleach!" I was glad Iron's reaction would probably be about the same as mine, so I didn't have to try to keep up the poker face, which would have been an utterly futile prospect.

"Not us you dumbass!" He shouted back in response.

"Well, you did word it pretty badly." Slade pointed out. "Also, need I remind you-"

"For the hundredth time! That random guy was drunk when he made out with me, and I kicked him in the balls hard enough to send him to the ground afterwards!"

"...Kinda like this?" I blasted him in the crotch with the Dreadshot, sending him flying into the energy barrier and making him double over with pain before falling to the ground.

"...You know, he probably deserved that for phrasing the sentence that way to begin with." Slade shrugged, before he was suddenly flying at me, forcing me to teleport out of the way. I reappeared behind him, and saw several jets on his back and lower legs powering down as he landed and rolled to face me.

He brought up his omni-tool, and several glowing blue rods appeared on his shoulders.

"Siege Pulses and Havok Strike huh? You upgrade since last time?"

His answer was to fire several of the potent projectiles at me, forcing me to throw up a shield.

"I don't know- did you get more desperate since last time, *Iron*?"

I swore as I realized the dome was blue. "Well, it worked for a while...or was I really bluffing?"

I could tell that he was sneering at me. "After what he did to you, no chance you'd keep him around, let alone let him take over. And seeing as what you've done hasn't fit his MO and there's no way you could fight him off for this long…" He shrugged and activated what looked like Tech Armor, and a Defensive Matrix. "Well, your odds of surviving this went way down."

_Siege Pulses, Tech Armor, Blade Armor, Defense Matrix- nothing I do is going to even scratch this guy._ He launched another Havok Strike at me, and I teleported again, knowing that even if I charged I couldn't match the power behind that thing. _All that defense should seriously kill his cooldown times, but that's not enough of an advantage for me to beat him. _I noticed a slight change in the light, and figured my eyes were purple. _Okay, think. He's got nigh indestructible armor. What could kill this thing in the game? Multiplayer characters could get pretty tough, but he's no juggernaut._

He slowly walked towards me, apparently daring me to try striking him. _Argh, that thing'd be completely overpowered! No way for any enemy to kill it...unless… unless it was an instant kill! _I teleported over to Isaac as he started to get back up, grabbed him by the neck, ripped the sword off his back, and threw him as high as I could, figuring the landing would knock him out if not finish him off.

I held the sword in front of me with both hands, point sticking straight at him, and he stopped his approach, beginning to circle instead. I mirrored him, grateful for at least the breather. _Since I can't punch through him or crush him in a giant claw or jaw, I'll have to use the Phantom's trick. But even if this thing could actually get through his armor, and I'm betting/guessing/hoping it can since their other tech is top of the line, if I get close enough to use it, he could just detonate the tech armor and send me on my ass, and then one quick batarian gauntlet strike and I'm missing a head...but then again, the sword has to get close, not me. _I threw the sword at him, and he easily rolled to the side.

"Oh come on- you really think throwing a sword would work outside a movie?" He laughed at me, only to gasp as the sword turned around in midair and speared him through the back, sticking out through his stomach.

"Kinda, yeah. Biotics tend to have that effect." I quipped, grabbing the knives from my boots and throwing those at his gut as well.

He dodged one, but the second caught him in the side and stuck. He managed to stay on his feet despite the blades lodged in him. "Would...this...stop...you?" He managed to get out before forcing me to put up a barrier to stop his flamethrower again.

_Not right away, it wouldn't, but if I can just stay out of reach long enough, I can outlast him. _We started circling again, me keeping a domed barrier in front of me.

"You...won't...win this. Even if...you beat us...you can't...match...her."

"Her who?" I demanded.

He chuckled, though it was almost a cough. "So...you don't...even...remember...her. Even though-" Whatever he was going to say was cut off as Isaac finally fell out of the sky, landing right on top of him and stunning him as both fell to the ground in a heap.

"ARGH! Damn you and your pointy armor!"

He pushed himself off gingerly, and I could see him wobbling way more then Slade was, or I would be. _So he's more fragile...I could probably finish him off here and now, but if I did...if this guy was my friend once…_

My hesitation gave him enough time to throw several discs at me, and I threw myself to the side, but several still stuck to my left arm, and it suddenly went numb as electricity poured into me, enough to actually send me to my knees before I managed to shake it off. I looked back up, and both were gone, though leaving a blood trail. I spared a glance at the others as they started to stir, before sprinting after the other two super-soldiers. I suddenly heard engines starting up, and rounded the next corner only to see both stumbling into a shuttle as it began to rise in the air.

I half reached for my Scorpion before remembering I'd left it behind, and with my arm still dead I couldn't use the Dreadshot. It was too late for me to do anything to the shuttle but watch it take off.

Raptor's voice was suddenly in my ear. "Jason? Are you alright?!"

I raised a hand to my earpiece. "Yeah, I'm-" I realized I was still using the Iron voice and coughed several times before responding normally. "I'm a little banged up, but nothing serious."

"What happened? One second you were in front of us, next second everyone's on the ground while I'm waking up."

I started back the way I'd come. "Slade and Isaac knocked you out, then came at me. Managed to hold them off long enough to get in some good shots, so they took off in a shuttle."

"...So much for you having backup against them." She said somewhat bitterly. "The others are still KOed, I'm going to get some medigel into them, see if I can get them back up."

I shut off the com as I got within normal hearing range. "They'll probably recover on their own before long- I don't think they wanted to do you any permanent harm."

Miranda groaned a moment later, and started to come around. "Looks like you two can shrug it off faster with the genemods or cybernetics." I commented as I slowly helped her into a sitting position. "We can let them come back around, then we should be able to head for the warlord's lab. Looks like our new buddies even cleared a path for us."

"We'll need to figure out a new strategy for them after this mission."

"You have a unique talent for understatement." I muttered. _I managed to hold off two...but a third?...And who could 'she' be?_

_...I get the feeling I'm not going to like the answer. And that this isn't even close to over. For any of us._

* * *

**(...Bourne, your impressions suck.)**

**)No, it's just that you suck and I was accurately portraying that.(**

***Well, in a way he's right. Iron sucks way too much for you to be able to fake sucking that much.***

**(How bout both of you **_**suck **_**my- **Iron, we both know I am not going to actually let you say all of that to them. They would beat you with the heaviest nearby object which would likely be one of the monitors or hard drives.

**)Nah, I'd probably just break all his limbs and throw him out the window.(**

***I'd do the same, except shooting him in the limbs instead of breaking them. That way we could both hurt him without getting in each other's way.***

**)Ooh, and I could also stab him in each limb too.(**

**(...You know, sometimes you two make it seem like I'm the most sane **That I will not allow simply because it is utter bullshit.

**T117: Come on CTHI, you gotta let him say at least a few things to keep things from getting boring.**

**(Thank you! Seriously, you two got way too used to beating me up in that stupid thing you don't remember.)**

**)I think we got used to kicking your ass way before that.(**

**(Uh, raise your hand if your face isn't fucked up due to **_**my **_**influence.)**

**)Raise your hand if I didn't blow your head off.(**

**(So we'll call it even then.)**

**)How the _hell _is _that_ even?(**

**(Because I'm nuts and nothing you say will change my mind. No, not even if you say something little green flying monkey in the tree.)**

***Iron, that's a stray cat.***

**(...Then why does it have three heads and a barbed tail?)**

**)CTHI- **I am way ahead of you. Crazey Metal has been logged off by host.

**T117: Yeah, I think that should do it for this A/N. Sayonara.**


	24. Supersoldier(s)

"How is this even up for debate?" Raptor heard Bourne's voice as the doors to the conference room opened in front of her.

"It's one thing to see what we can learn from it, but waking it-"

"Lawson, let me put it this way. You and I were both genetically engineered to be 'perfect' and I doubt either of us could argue that they did a good damn job with that. So, given that a _normal _krogan is about on par with us, what do you think happens to the enemies if we aim a Krogan super-soldier at them?"

"Arguing about what to do with the new paperweight?" Raptor asked with a chuckle, leaning on the table across from them.

"Not so much arguing as I'm right and telling them why they're wrong. Pretty much standard with Cer-" He stopped and looked at Miranda in disbelief. "Did you _really_ just throw a datapad at the back of my head?"

"You kinda deserved it for that line." Raptor observed.

"This Krogan was created, and likely educated, by a madman. It may actually be a good thing that your enemies got there first and put him down...it was fortunate that they didn't have time to wipe his files though."

"Indeed." Bourne said, poker face firmly in place. But his hands twitched so slightly, Raptor almost thought she was imagining it- would have thought she was if it was someone else. "But then again Princess, I doubt there's many people that'd call _your _dear old dad sane."

"That's-...'princess?'" She repeated in disbelief."

He shrugged. "Tried Jack's 'cheerleader' thing, but it didn't really work for me. And considering...well, I doubt you want me telling these two all the sordid details of your past, but I think we both know that my point is actually rather valid."

She grit her teeth, but seemed to acknowledge that he had a point- whatever it was, since Raptor was out of the loop.

"Speaking of your black armored friends though-" Jacob began.

"They are not my friends." Bourne said flatly.

"Do we have any new info on what they're doing?"

Bourne's response was to do another bug scan. "...Okay, Miranda, I'm impressed you managed to get one in while my back was turned, but-" There was the sound of something crackling into dust. "Suffice it to say-"

"Why did you bother crushing the bug if she can just write a new report for the Illusive Man?"

"...Force of habit?"

Raptor shook her head. "They had something that knocked out all of us at once except you- why didn't they just shoot us while we were down?"

Bourne's eyes went purple as he furrowed his brow, and she still almost jumped at the sight. "This is going to sound nuts, but...while they were fighting me, they had some type of kinetic barrier up in front of the rest of you so you didn't get incinerated or smashed or anything. And judging by the way they keep killing our foes for us, it seems like they want you to succeed." He nodded at her. "It might sound a bit...egotistical, but it's beginning to seem like their grudge is solely against me. In fact I'm all but certain that's the case."

"Still no idea why?" Jacob asked.

"I might be able to make a few guesses if I had to...doubt they'd be all that accurate though."

"But if you've got a perfect memory, shouldn't you recognize something more about them? Like recognize their fighting styles or equipment or-"  
"Both of them are using cutting edge equipment that was likely stolen from high tech labs, or created at labs of their own." He cut him off. "All I can tell from their fighting styles is that Slade prefers a thick defensive layer so he can crush the other guy at his leisure, while Isaac seems to prefer tech attacks at a distance- maybe ambushes too." He shook his head.

"How'd you manage to fight them off?"

Bourne was silent for a moment, then he looked at Shepard meaningly before turning back at the other two. "The guys that...'created' me induced a sort of... let's call it a split personality, or maybe brainwashing. One that'd use the red biotics, and basically was omnicidal and deadly as fuck. Managed to get rid of it when I broke free, but I wagered they wouldn't know that, and since rage somehow turns the red on now, I was able to bluff them into thinking I was that other guy, and I took Isaac down while he was backing away. Then I used his sword and stabbed Slade and...Ah, goddamnit!" His eyes were suddenly red.

"What's wrong?" Raptor asked, reading his true meaning in all of that- and since he'd never mentioned anything about either of them before, deciding she'd have to get more answers out of him later. Assuming he actually had any, with his amnesia.

"I never got that knife back out of his gut! And that was one of my good knives too!" He took a deep breath, and they went back to blue. "They ran...but they mentioned 'her' again. And Isaac said something about a scorned lover...I don't know what either thing means. Almost feels like a case of mistaken identity."

"How could that be?" Miranda said skeptically.

"I didn't say it was likely, it just feels like it...could be false implanted memories on their part, or maybe there's a clone of me somewhere that did all that. Dunno which idea I hate more." He rubbed his left arm with his right. "But that just makes having a super krogan around that much better of an idea. They're pretty damn hard to paralyze, so that trick wouldn't work on him."

"And if he just tries killing you?"

He stopped, and his eyes glazed over slightly. "Well, then he'd be the six hundredth and forty eighth Krogan to try, so I doubt he'd succeed."

"...Is that the real number?" Jacob asked.

"...No, that's just when I decided to stop counting because I don't care and it kinda proves my point as is."

Raptor shook her head. "So, you're telling me you're willing to go down into the cargo hold, wake up a Krogan, and hope you can kill him if he's hostile?"

"Ever heard the expression 'bell the cat'?" He asked in reply.

"...I think so, but just in case, remind me what it means."

He rolled his eyes. "Long story short- I'm the one that suggested it, so I figure I got an obligation to be the one to actually do it…not that I'd object if you wanted to do it yourself." He looked at the hologram of the tank. "Besides, this Krogan looks pretty young, at least physically if not mentally too. Strong, probably, but no real world experience. And if nothing else-" He snapped his fingers, creating a blue aura around them.

"Well...Honestly Jason, then you _should _handle him." Raptor sighed. "He'd probably be more likely to respect a male figure, and we all know your biotics are better than mine will be anytime soon."

"Fine by me." He said with a shrug- though Raptor thought she caught a hint of surprise in his tone.

"Even if he manages to convince the Krogan to work with us...that's not much of an edge against two Bourne's." Jacob said.

"If you got a better idea, I'd be happy to listen to it." Bourne responded, heading for the door. "Right now, my best idea is to tell Joker to head for the Citadel, so we can regroup and maybe get some upgrades."

"Didn't the Council tell us to stay in the Terminus?" Miranda pointed out.

Bourne just laughed as the door shut behind him.

"...Miranda, are you in charge of his paycheck by chance?" Shepard asked.

"I _was_, which is why he is _now _doing this free of charge."

"Have you told him that?"

"Yes. He laughed, and told me he'd probably be able to find plenty of credits out in the field...I'm not entirely sure what he meant."

She shrugged. "Who knows what he means with some things."

* * *

_Okay, so how do I do this? _I asked myself for about the hundredth time since walking into the cargo bay- and then continuing to walk back and forth in front of the tank.

_I could just try doing things the same way that Shepard would've done in the game...but I'm not Raptor. Or Hero, or even Iron- I couldn't pull it off the same way._

_...Where did that come from? _I leaned against the wall, glancing at the tank before looking away and closing my eyes as I thought; it wasn't as if he'd be going anywhere.

_It's true, but...is it because Raptor keeps having me be really her equal, not just her second like it used to be?...I mean, isn't this what I fought for? To be her equal? I saved the council, I beat Iron, I _am _one of only two human Spectres._

_...But all that doesn't make me Shepard...so what _does _it make me?...besides someone who sounds really really emo. _

I looked at the tank again. _Well...I know one thing about myself. I can plan, I can think ahead...and I know how to adapt. I woke up on Eden Prime with no memory, with a gun, and with a Geth on my tail, I turned around and blew its head off. I found out I had biotics, I started kicking ass with them. I found out I had a pair of voices in my head...okay, that one I didn't adapt to so well and had to kill both of them, but 2 out of 3. I can live with that...and if Grunt doesn't listen, and he doesn't back down...I've got practice killing angry Krogan._

"EDI, you listening?"

"To my amazement, yes, it appears all monitoring devices in your vicinity are operational."

I chuckled. "Good. Do whatever it is you need to do to wake this guy up."

"I can unlock the controls, but you will have to 'wake him up' manually."

"Good enough then...surprised you're not arguing though."

"I _am _capable of learning, Bourne. And I know that arguing with you would simply be a waste of processing power. Though I believe Ms. Lawson will be submitting a report to the Illusive Man about 'what a completely idiotic decision' this is 'in regards to cerberus protocols about untested alien technology.'"

"...Works for me." I shrugged, moving over to the tank as the buttons turned green, and I studied them for a moment before moving my hands across the panel, glad I'd learned enough about tech to do so.

I stepped back quickly as the fluid started to drain from the tank. "Also, EDI- lock that door behind me."

"Already done."

I briefly cursed at myself for not wearing my armor, but it was what Shepard did- or didn't do- in the game, and this jacket was actually armored. _Also, I can get out of the way of his charge if I need to- or charge him back biotically._

The hatch popped open, and the krogan fell to the ground, coughing out the liquid onto the floor.

_Also, should I try suggesting Godzilla as a name?...Nah, that'd be dumb. Can totally nickname him that though if I wanted. _

He slowly stood up, eyeing me, though our eyes being level meant he was a good foot taller than me, not counting the hump on his back.

The roar he made was the only warning I had he was about to charge, and I dashed to the side as he did, causing him to miss, and slam into the door, denting it. _There's some sorta matador joke here, but I doubt he'd get it._

"So, would you like to try that again, or-" He turned and in fact did try again, though to say he was telegraphing his maneuvers would've been an understatement. I didn't wait for him to try again; I activated my biotics and charged him myself, knocking him back enough for me to hit him with an uppercut to the chin- I was glad the gloves deployed so quickly, and more glad they actually had armor now, since I was fairly certain I'd have broken my hand had I punched him without them. He was sent reeling back, and I took a few steps back as he recovered.

"You wanna try that again, or have I made my point clear enough?" I said, ready to blast him with the dreadshot if needed.

"...you're tougher than the tank would have said."

"And you're shorter than I'd have expected for a 'superior krogan.'" I said, pointing at him casually with my left hand.

He growled, deep in his throat, but didn't try attacking me again this time. "Who are you?"

"That depends on you. I can be an ally, or the guy tossing your headless corpse out an airlock." I crossed my arms. "The name's Jason Bourne, Spectre, and co-commander of this ship."

"You seem to be worthy of your command." He said, rubbing his chin. "But you share with another?"  
"...It's a human thing." I said, figuring that'd be simpler than trying to explain it.

He nodded slowly after a moment, apparently accepting the justification.

"And, being as I've had experiences with test tube people before, I'm betting the tank didn't really make you care about the data it was pumping into your brain."

"No. The words were hollow. I don't feel anything for Okeer's clan or his enemies."

"That just means _you _can choose what you do care about. Now, if I were you, I'd suggest joining this crew- or clan, if you wanna call it that. As is it's pretty damn strong, but, well, I reasoned opening the tank up was a risk worth taking, seeing as how you could make it a lot stronger- either by joining us, or by giving me a _workout_."

He seemed to be thinking it over. "If you're weak or choose weak enemies, I'll have to kill you."

"Let me put it this way- Raptor Shepard, the woman I share command with, punches about a hundred times as hard as I do, and the guys we're facing literally threaten entire planets. Neither counts as 'weak'."

He digested that, and then nodded. "That's...acceptable. I'll fight with you."

"Glad you saw reason." I shifted my arm so it was pointed at the tank, and fired the dreadshot, putting a massive dent in the metal. "What's that old saying? Keep one hand armed and the other for a handshake?" I blinked at myself, but shook deja vu away yet again.

"Wise, Bourne…if I find a clan, if I find what I...I want, I will be honored to pit them against you."

"Well, if you want to find a clan, I'd suggest you get yourself a name- but since most Krogan are apparently named after belches, maybe...I dunno, anything Okeer said stand out for ideas?"

"Okeer's last words...Grunt was among them. It has no meaning. It'll do."  
"Well then, Grunt, I suggest you get comfy in here, since it's about the only place you wouldn't feel utterly cramped...also, you kinda broke the door, and that might take a while to fix."

* * *

I sighed as I finally walked out of the elevator into the vacant and somewhat darkened mess hall. _So, dealt with Grunt, lived. Good end for the day, so time to start tomorrow with an early breakfast/ super late dinner._

I glanced up at the darkened lights, but didn't ask EDI to turn them on- I could see well enough with the enhanced eyes, and if I needed it my visor was in a jacket pocket.

I walked over to the fridge, deciding to see what was left over first, and as the light inside came on, I caught motion out of the corner of my eye and ducked as something came flying at me, glowing blue. I rolled out from behind the counter with the dreadshot up and aimed, and saw Jack standing there with biotics around both fists.

I sighed as I stood up. "You know, it's a good thing I wasn't just sleepwalking, or that would've woken me up and...well, I am not a morning person."

"Well make some damn noise when you walk." She shot back, sitting back down at a table a moment later.

"Could've asked EDI to turn the lights on- or knowing you it'd probably sound more like a demand, but you get the point." I retracted the gloves and walked back over to the fridge. "Let me guess- trying to avoid the crowd?"

"What tipped you off? The fact I like killing Cerberus people, or the fact I chose the most out of the way spot on the ship possible?"

"Meh, little from column a, little from column b...I have no idea why, but for some reason if I ever say that again, I want you to hit me as hard as you possibly can with the heaviest nearby object."

"Whatever."

I shrugged as I turned back to the fridge. "So- found anything in those files yet?"

"...Some." She said, sounding reluctant but also not wanting to owe me more than she had to. "Thanks for getting those for me."

"Well, let's be honest, my reasons weren't completely unselfish. But you're welcome."

"What did you get out of it?"

"Well, it got you onboard, which was the whole reason we were on that ship to begin with...that and it pissed off the Princess." I chuckled.

"Princess?"

"Tried your cheerleader thing, didn't really work for me." I shrugged, glancing over at her, and noticing she was wearing the armored jacket I'd gotten for her.

"Guess it does kinda fit." She said after a moment. "Always acting like Cerberus will give her whatever she asks for, like her 'daddy' The Illusive Man is the perfect king-"

"Probably because her real father is the one asshole I can think of that might be worse than Timmy."

"Tim- Oh, I see what you did there. You're telling me the asshole that personally-"

"If there's a limit to human cruelty, I doubt it's been found yet, or ever's gonna be found." I said flatly. "I'll say this much for Miranda- she at least has _some _standards."

"Didn't Shepard say something about her wanting to stick a control chip in her brain?"

"...When was she talking to you about that?"

"Heard a bunch of metal getting fucked up, so I'm guessing it was when you were dealing with the Krogan. She was trying to convince me how fucked up Cerberus was- as if I needed to be convinced."

"What, was she...trying to organize a way to take out all the Cerberus people and take the ship or something?"

"Pretty much."

_...Well, since I didn't do a bug check, at least...Okay, TIM would already probably know that she hates Cerberus, even without the bugs, but...damnit, if she did do something like that...I couldn't take her side- we need their resources until after the collector base. _

_But otherwise, if we could cripple Cerberus...then my damn reality warping would probably just nullify it. Fuck whoever or whatever gave me that shit. Makes it like ten times harder to do anything._

"Wonder if she talked to anyone else about it?" I said casually, poker face in place again.

"What, you think she'd need more help than just me?"

"Depends on whether she wanted to actually be able to use the ship again afterwards." I smirked.

She threw what looked like a chicken leg at me, and I leaned to the side to avoid it- only for it to suddenly glow blue and come right at my face. I teleported right before it would've hit me, reappearing on the other side of the room.

"Yeah, that doesn't really work on me." I chuckled, making her spin around. "Night." I teleported again as she threw something else, appearing in my cabin- and making Kasumi stop dead in her tracks.

I kept my poker face in place as I took in the scene, looking over the room, then back at her. "You broke into my room just to make popcorn and watch something on the bigger screen?"

"...I didn't really break in so much as sneak in."

"And you did this at four in the morning…why?"

"...Because...Well…"

"What're we watching?" I cut her off, teleporting so I was sitting next to her on the couch, and reaching over to grab a handful of popcorn from the bag in her hand.

"...It's this new Anime that just came out on Netflix. I'm only a couple episodes in."

"You ever watched- wow that is a lot of blood! How- did he just beat a dude to death with his own spine?" _Don't make the RVB joke, don't make the RVB joke, don't make the RVB Joke- _"That doesn't seem physically possible!"

"Yeah, since Turian broadcast standards are a bit less strict as far as violence goes, anime's kinda found a niche market there."

"...What's this show called?" I asked, leaning back against the couch and snagging another handful of popcorn, biotically this time.

"I expected you to be more angry at me for sneaking in here."

"That's an odd name for a show." I quipped without missing a beat.

She chuckled. "Yeah, walked into that one."  
"Way I see it- I could be mad over something kinda trivial, or realize that with you it's really not meant to be a bad thing...that being said, if you wanted to watch something so bad you could've just asked me for the password or something."  
"Where's the fun in that?"

"Yeah yeah, I know you're- What the hey? That sword is bigger than he is!"

"You want one now, don't you?"

"...Yeah, a little."

* * *

**(What is it with Bourne and wanting big swords? Kinda seems likeEEEEEEEEE Oww!)**

**)Slamming his face into a keyboard will never not be fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu...Oh, so that's how you want to play it, huh Iron?(**

Both parties have disconnected their keyboards and are now using them as melee weapons against each other...Sigh.

***You know Trebor, it's not too late to retcon something where I'm not actually a product of **_**that **_**brain.***

**T117: You realize that Bourne is like 80% me, right?**

So what percentage is Iron like you?

**T117:...Uh…**

***How much am I like you, that's another good question?***

Not to mention Raptor, Slade, and Isaac now.

**T117: All good questions I'm going to choose to completely ignore.**

**(Hey, uh, hypothetical question- does this gig come with dental insurance?)**

**T117: Why?**

**)Because he kinda knocked out one of my teeth, so I responded by knocking out most of his and yanking several more biotically.(  
(Yeah, because you kept hitting me in the crotch!)**

**)Yeah, I was trying to be nice.(**

**(How is-)**

**)Because there was nothing there to reallly get hurt! BAM!(**

**(...Hey, Trebor, were you by any chance playing online with Spike right before this?)**

**T117: Yeah, why?**

**(No reason, just curious...seriously though, do we get dental or what?)**

**T117: Bourne gets it cause he's the main character and has to look normal, you're not getting squat unless you end up in the actual story instead of the A/Ns only.**

**(...What about mental health?)**

**T117: That, I'm not paying for no matter what. If I'm not sending **_**myself **_**to a psychologist, why the hell would I pay for you to go?**

***...Okay, I'm just going to leave and get to what I judge to be a safe distance away from you guys.***

**T117: Sayonara!**


	25. What was and What Will Be

My eyes snapped open, and I gasped for breath as I almost fell off the couch. It took me a few moments to collect my wits and remember why I wasn't on my bed. I glanced over at the bed, and saw that Kasumi was already gone.

_Or else she's sleeping with her cloak active and breathing too quietly for me to hear despite the fact she was snoring when I moved her onto it last night. Or this morning, who the fuck can still keep track?_

I sat up, head in my hands as I fought for control. The dream had impacted me in a way no dream before had- and it hadn't been a nightmare in the traditional sense.

It had been a memory. A memory of my life before all of this started. Only vague images remained now, too little to get anything clear from.

_But that girl...I can't see her face now- maybe I couldn't see it in the dream either. But...I _knew _her. I...I think I might've...might've loved her. And another few seconds...she would've said my name._

_My real name...Something with an A? Or a D...I don't know. I don't know if I want to know either._

_And...if the memories come back...if they come back stronger...Then…_

It was a good thing I was sitting down, because my legs felt like jelly, and my hands were visibly shaking. _Then either I remember the people I lost, and...I'm distracted. Unbalanced. A threat to the mission...or I'm so...so inhuman that I won't care._

_And worse. If Slade and Isaac really were my friends like I think...either I did something to them, something so bad that they want me dead or...or I'll remember them as friends. Not just intellectually know it. They won't just be faceless figures I need to fillet, they'll be...I'll be fighting my own friends. And I would be forced to do it... without even needing Iron to pull the strings._

I didn't know what to do at all.

Even if I told Kelly- which would require either more mostly false lies, or the impossible to reveal truth- what could she really do? She might be able to tell me why I felt the way I did, or some shrink BS like that, but it wouldn't help. It'd just mean...I didn't even know what it'd mean. I didn't know now if I'd even be able to fight Slade or Isaac. Not for myself, and they didn't seem to have much interest in hurting anyone else on the squad.

I could fight to protect them, but...If I did something to them to deserve this hate, even if it was just because I left them behind in the real world...I couldn't just stand by and let them kill me with this much at stake, but if my heart wasn't in fighting them, my odds of beating them dropped lower than I already felt like they were.

A knock on my door got my attention, and I wondered who it might be for a moment. Then I got a message on my omni-tool, though I only glanced at the sender before sighing and walking over to unlock the door before teleporting back to the couch.

"So, good news is the place isn't destroyed this time." I deadpanned as Kelly took the same position she had last time.

"The bad news is the nightmare was still pretty bad?" She said, a hint of sympathy in her tone.

I looked down at my hands, which were still shaking slightly, and I blinked as I saw I'd activated the gloves at some point without realizing it.

"Depends on what you call a nightmare." I sighed.

"What do _you _call one?"

I hesitated, then did a bug scan on impulse, though nothing turned up. "It wasn't even really a nightmare. It was...I don't know now. At the time though, I was screaming at it."

"What happened?"

"I...the specifics already faded, but...it was a memory. Of some friends I had... at the station." It was close enough to the truth.

"A bad memory?"

"...No...It would've been a good one. Except…" I stopped myself, unsure of what I'd say even if I could tell her the truth.

"Except…?" She prodded gently after a minute.

"It's...I don't know if I can really put it into words. It's like...those memories aren't really... me. Even the good ones, it's like...I know, intellectually, that I existed before I met Shepard, but I don't...feel any of it. It's like...like that person, that other version of me, was someone else. That someone else died, and I took his place…" I gestured vaguely. "And, I don't even know who that person was. I mean, he and I might have a few things in common, but he could've been...damn near anybody."

She waited a moment to be sure I wasn't going to say more. "So, you're...afraid other memories might surface?"

"Afraid is putting it mildly...it terrifies me more than if I had to face Saren again. More than if the Reapers were to show up tomorrow." I admitted.

"Because you're worried about who that person was," she used my terminology, "or because you're worried who you are now might be...worse?"

"...You know, I'm just saying. Most shrinks I've heard of probably wouldn't be brave enough to say that to a guy who can break their neck with his mind." I shook my head. "Like I said, I don't really know. I mean...I've done some things I'm not proud of. A lot of things, albeit never without a reason. But...it's a 'morton's fork'. Either I was a good person before, and all of this turned me into what I am now...or like you said, before the memory loss, I might've been worse."

She pursed her lips, obviously thinking. "Do you know exactly how the memory loss occurred?"

"...Not sure what that has to do with anything I just said, but my best guess is a head injury of some sort when the ship crashed. Or could've been the AI in my head short circuited and fried my brain enough to do it."

"But based on the dreams you've been having, it may not be permanent, nor complete."

"...I don't even know whether I want it to be permanent or not." I admitted sheepishly.

I thought I saw a hint of surprise on her face, but I wasn't sure, and I was too off my game to look closer. "So, perhaps you need to accept that it's a possibility."

"I already did." I snapped.

She ignored the outburst. "And more importantly, you should accept that those memories are yours. It wouldn't be you that was changed, just your perception of yourself."

"Oh, that's very helpful." I said sarcastically. "I already knew that too."  
"Sometimes it helps to hear it from another person."

"Emphasis on sometimes." I said, half tempted to teleport out. But I stayed where I was, hearing the 'asshole' in my own voice and tone, and trying to get away from that mindset even as another flashback buzzed in the back of my skull. "I don't know that anything you'd say would help me here."

"Well, I'll admit this isn't exactly a common scenario."

_Lady, you have no idea. _"Well, there's really nothing new to go off of."

"Unless you tell me what you're still hiding."

She recoiled suddenly, and I didn't need to even confirm that my eyes were burning crimson. "I'm already taking a risk by telling you what I have." They blazed redder as I realized I'd actually admitted I was hiding something, instead of just denying it. I couldn't think of anything else to say- either I would be lying, and it would be obvious, or I'd just be threatening her for trying to help me. "And I've told you all that I'm going to...for now." I tacked onto the end, since absolutes had a way of biting a person in the ass.

"So what could make you tell me more?"

"Nothing I can think of." I said flatly. "And I've imagined some pretty damn unlikely scenarios in my dreams."

"Have you had any 'normal' dreams lately?"

"...Is that even a question that can be answered?"

"I mean dreams dreams, as opposed to memories, or nightmares."

"I told you before, I don't remember most of them...I had one a while back about waking up with clown makeup all over my face and beating the crap out of the guy who did it to me, but I dunno if that qualifies as normal."

"...A clown?"

"Yeah, it was like some sorta white paint over most of the face, and then like lipstick or something for the nose and- what does this have to do with anything? I've had weirder dreams about being a vampire slayer after binging on Buffy."

"..."

"It's an old show about a vampire slayer, by the same guy that did my favorite movie- pretty sure it's not relevant to my various mental issues...I think."

She put a hand on her chin, considering something. "How do you know how to talk?"

I gave her a blank look. "What?"

"You obviously retained _some _memories after the crash, or you wouldn't have been able to go right to fighting Geth."

I sat back, and thought about it for a moment. "Well...Looking back...I woke up, and I knew the stuff I was wearing was armor. Even could tell there was a barrier when I tried feeling it. Didn't know how I knew, just knew. I found some blades and had them in the armor's built-in sheaths before I even fully realized it."

She was silent, giving me a look that said to continue.

"I didn't even know my own name, and realized that something had happened to me. Didn't know what...I look back with clarity, knowing more now than I did then...And I was so...calm about it all- no, not...not really calm, nobody would've been, but I had no idea what'd been done to me. All the horrors I suffered through...I had no idea, not even an inkling. I look back at that person...and that person almost doesn't really feel like me either. It'd be like if you showed someone a vid of them as a kid, doing something really stupid or...like if they loved a food now, and the vid of them as a kid they hated that same food."

"What happened after you found the knives? You ran into Shepard?"

"No, it was a long ways after that. I was annoyed, thought it was a prank by my friends or something, randomly kicked at the ground. Turned over a small box, didn't know what it was, picked it up. Heard a twig snap, instantly had the gun readied and pointed in the direction I'd heard the noise. Perfect position- left hand cupping the right to support it, handle the recoil, one foot slightly behind the other...I didn't even notice the targeting reticule in my eye. In the cybernetics. I see it when I look back, but at the time some part of me must've still been used to it somehow. Looked past it." I took a breath, also giving her a chance to comment.

"So, did you feel...different?"'

"I... I don't remember anything before that, so there wasn't really much to compare 'different' to. I didn't know what was going on...it was like instincts I'd never known about were suddenly taking over...A geth found the crash, started chasing me through the wheat fields. I got to the end, no real cover, had to turn to face it. Ended up doing a combat roll on instinct, behind a rock...okay, so there was cover, I just didn't see it right away. I waited for the Geth to get close...and I blew its head off with my third shot. All my other shots hit it in the chest. Not sharp shooting, not close to what I can do now, but better than a lot of people would do, if they were dropped into a combat zone without really knowing the sitch."

"...You think you were raised in that lab, right?"

"...It's more complex than that." I closed my eyes. "The body was built more or less from scratch there- they just upgraded it as they went...but I think...mentally, I'm a clone of someone else." I opened my eyes, cutting off her question as she opened her mouth. "They basically scanned my brain, or a copy into the body from some other sap. Civilian...some of the nightmares are residual memories from him."

"...Do you think that may be what happened to 'Isaac' and 'Slade' as well?"

I almost did another bug check, but fought the paranoia down. "...I'm still paranoid enough to want to remind you what happens if a word of this gets to anyone. I don't care if you're talking to your _flowers _about me- that happens and...I recognized Isaac's face when I took off his helmet. But the memories, the sudden flashes in my brain, weren't from the lab. Not all of them at least."

"So you think they were also...scanned in?"

"I'm all but sure of it...I think that's their vendetta against me. We were friends...no, that other guy, was friends with their other guys before the nightmare started…" I began to say something about 'her' but didn't. It just felt too...personal, for some reason. Something held me back.

"Do you have any idea why they'd want you dead?"

"Do you _know _how many people want me dead?" I asked flatly. "The reasons are rather extensive as a whole...and I can't guess. The ideas are too...it's...I just can't." I lowered my head in surrender.

She seemed to drop it. "So, you killed the Geth and then…?"

"I knew something big was going on." _Like the start of the end of all life as we know it. _"I just knew I had to get away from the crash site. Knew every Geth or worse within miles would've seen and heard it...headed towards the spaceport. Heard gunfire after a while...went towards it." I paused at that.

"So your first instinct was to go towards the fighting?"

"Didn't say it was a smart idea...I mean, put me back there now and I would've done that, but at the time?... I was an idiot, but I was either really lucky, or some instincts were still around and kicking...I basically walked into a Geth, suprised it. Only reason it didn't just shoot me. No time for the pistol or a knife, so I punched it in the face. Realized it was a stupid idea with my fist halfway there. Flinched a little, expected my hand to break on contact, then be shot. Geth went flying instead. Saw it crash into a wall- too surprised to understand I'd used biotics. More Geth, started shooting at me. Jumped into the ravine, rolled behind cover. Met…" I almost joked on the words. I cleared my throat, changing what I'd been going to say. "Shepard. Her group. Helped fight them off. Realized I was a biotic."

"Did you know who she was?" She was either ignoring my obvious change of words, or simply putting it aside for later.

"...Yeah. I recognized her."

"Do you know how?"

"...I don't know why I would've known." I half-lied, then reconsidered. "No wait. A possible plan for...Iron, was to get in as a mole. Think when we first met with the council, Saren thought I was a mole. Seemed smug about getting away with it, directed it at me...How long have I been talking in fragments like that?"

"Pretty much the whole time you were talking about your past...reminded me of a Drell a little bit, actually."

"...Well, my memory's as good as one, so I guess that'd make sense." I made a vague 'who cares' gesture.

"You seem more relaxed then when I came in."

I glanced down at my hands and realized they weren't shaking now. "...Maybe it helped a little, getting some of that off my chest. Talking to someone else." I admitted.

"Well-" She cut off as my omni-tool started beeping with an incoming message, and I hit it to reveal it was from Raptor.

**Jason, Joker's changing course for the terminus systems- got a condensed version, but Timmy wants to talk to us both in the Comm Room ASAP. And not in a 'screw him, let's go to the Citadel' kind of want, a 'we have a lead so get your ass in here' kinda want.**

**PS: If you don't get down here now, I'll come up there and drag you in here.**

**PPS: If you take long enough that I come up there and find that you teleported while I was on the way up…** she let the threat trail off.

"...Yeah, we'll have to continue this later." I said to her. "Don't bother locking the door behind you- I'll probably need to come right back for my gear." I teleported before she could reply.

* * *

"Heavy handed much with the message?" Bourne asked as he walked through the door behind Raptor.

She just rolled her eyes and stepped into the quantum thing that the table had retracted into, Bourne right behind her.

"Shepard, Lt. I think we have them."

"How come she gets her name while I get the rank I hate?"

"Because shut up Jason." Raptor cut both off. "Them being the Collectors?"

"Yes. Horizon, one of our colonies in the Terminus Systems, just went dark. If the Collectors aren't there now, they'll be there soon."

"Any idea why they'd hit that specific colony?" Raptor asked.

He took a puff on his cigar before answering. "Not at the moment. But-"

"Ashley's there." Bourne said quietly.

"...Come again?" Raptor turned towards him.

"Anderson wouldn't help me, but I put out a few 'feelers' to try to track her down. Narrowed it down to a few spots, Horizon was one of them."

"It may just be a coincidence, but yes. Operations Chief Ashley Williams was posted there, officially as an 'outreach project' to-"

"Cut the crap." Bourne snapped. "They sent her there because you leaked some rumors to the Alliance that Horizon would be the next place to get hit. Along with rumors that A: dinolady here somehow survived the ship exploding, and B: that we're working with you assholes."

"...Dinolady is _not _going to be your new nickname for me."  
"Why exactly would you suspect any of that?" TIM asked.

"Short version: I don't trust you. Long version: why the fuck would I tell _you _how I'm getting this info?"

Raptor hesitated a moment. It really did seem odd that he'd been able to find all this out, and perhaps more so that he didn't tell her. So it might've been he was fishing in the dark and getting lucky. But at the same time, he sounded so sure. "Drop it. For now. Do we know anything else?"

"We know this guy needs a boot up the ass." Bourne muttered, again sounding slightly off to her. She blinked a moment later as she realized he was speaking in Prothean.

"Only that time is of the essence." He took another drag. "Has Mordin come through on the Seeker Swarm-"

Bourne's response was to just teleport. He was back before the other two had time to do more than exchange an annoyed look. "Yeah, he just finished with it. Lucky break for us. So unless there's anything else you wanna lie to us about, I think we're done here." He just turned and walked out of the zone that time, not bothering to teleport.

TIM looked annoyed as he pressed a button to terminate the call.

Raptor stopped Bourne before he reached the door. "Do a bug check real quick."

He shrugged and acquiesced.

"You're hiding something from me."

"...You're going to have to be more specific." He said after a moment's thought.

She swung a punch that he ducked under, right into her knee strike that knocked him back.

"Okay, that's a new one." He said, rubbing his chin. It was clear it hurt more than he was letting show.

"You're my friend Jason. That's more than half the reason I agreed to any of this. But if I can't trust you...On the first Normandy, before Iron showed up, you were hiding that. Is he-"

"He's dead. Both of them are." His eyes flashed to Red at the mention of Iron. "The only thing I'm hiding is how I'm getting the info- and I'm hiding that from everybody."

"Why?"

"If I told you why, that'd defeat the purpose of not telling you. The reason I'm hiding it and the way I'm getting the info are sorta related." His face hardened.

"Do you remember what I said to you last time you pushed me for info about something I was hiding?"

"Refresh my memory."

"I said I'd have been willing to slit Shiala's throat if she rooted through my head...this _isn't _like that. It's just a matter of needing to keep the method secret for it to work."

"What about Slade and Isaac? You were holding something back. I could tell."

"...I have a theory about them."  
"Let's hear it then."

"...I...I guess I told Kelly so-"

"Wait wait wait- What do you mean you told Kelly?"

"She's got training in Psychology and well...Let's just say my nightmares used to just end with me waking up in a cold sweat. They got worse over the last two years...a lot worse."

"...How much does she know?"

"Pretty much everything you do...or, well will after this conversation, idealy."  
"And if she tells the Illusive Man that you're an amnesiac?"

"She knows what I'll do to her. Or well, she doesn't _know _because I didn't get specific, but she gets the gist."

She crossed her arms. "So what's the theory about them?"

The doors suddenly opened behind him, and Miranda walked in. "We need to discuss the plan for when we get to Horizon."

"That's easy. We send you out first with Mordin's upgrades as bait. If they work and the swarms don't kill you, we go kick some ass. If they don't work and the swarms do kill you, we come back up here and throw a party. Win-win."

"...Normally I don't let other people smack you Jason, but I think she should be allowed to for that." Raptor said, even as she tried to not grin.

"Five people, max." He said like the previous exchange hadn't happened. "Small enough to not bring every collector down on our heads at once, large enough we've got plenty of firepower."

Garrus arrived after that, and the rest of the team started to filter in as well, causing the discussion about the plan to change almost constantly. Bourne seemed almost eager to plan.

Raptor wasn't going to just drop the subject though.

But she had the strange feeling, that whatever Bourne's theory was...by the end of the mission, they'd have proof one way or another.

* * *

**(So, do we actually have any questions this chapter?)**

**T117: A few. Blah blah Raptor's long range, how would she handle a bow?**

**)...Does being good with guns even have any correlation with archery skills?(**

**T117: Hmm, I guess they both take...eyesight coordination? I'm just going to say I have no idea, because I kinda doubt it'd ever come up in the story and I can think of reasons she might be or might not be.**

***Okay, opinion on the Tv show "Gotham"***

**T117:...Let me put it this way. "Batman Begins." "Batman: Arkham Origins". "Batman: Year one." The Tim Burton "Batman". All origins, and what do they all have in common? The Goddamn Batman.**

**(Oh. I thought you were going to say they all were the worse in their series or something.)**

**)...Okay, first off Year One wasn't really part of a series, second of all if you ever so much as imply that BaR wasn't the worst in the series again, I am going to make your hide into a cape and then set it on fire.(**

**T117: Only if I don't get to him first. But seriously- Gotham minus Batman is not a city I really care about. **

**(You are such a batman fanboy.)**

**T117: Yet I still haven't seen The Dark Knight Rises. Just the important clips on youtube.**

***Okay, I'm going to bring in the next question before he goes on a bat-rant. Things to do in Skyrim?***

**T117: Yeah, never actually got into that game. Played for about thirty minutes, but it was actually **_**too **_**open world for me to figure out where to go or what to do. **

**)You just spent like 20 minutes just gliding around Gotham City beating up random thugs.(**

***He means in the video game Iron.***

**(OOOHHH! That makes so much more sense. How could we have both been doing that at the same time and not ran into each other?)**

***...Any other questions?***

**T117: Doesn't look like it. But before I go- 24 chapters and 200 reviews = you guys are awesome. Sayonara.**


	26. Horizon

"Notice that I didn't teleport out in midair this time?" I commented as the doors opened.

"Notice how I'm not making an outline around your head with bullets?" Raptor snarked back.

I rolled my eyes as I jumped out, motioning for Jack to take point next to me. Miranda took position behind us- something I was only comfortable with because I knew Raptor or Garrus would blow her head off if she tried anything, and she knew it too.

_Perfect memory or not, I don't understand how I managed to get talked into working with the chick I don't trust at all, the kinda unstable chick whose biotics are as good or better than mine, and a guy who doesn't trust me at all and might nail me on instinct if I get pissed and the red biotics come out...at least I managed to talk Grunt down so we could leave him behind and not have to worry about the ship being destroyed._

"Mordin, you sure these upgrades are going to work?"

"They'd better." Miranda muttered low enough I barely heard it, and knew no one else did. "Considering everyone with any command qualifications is here."

"Should confuse the swarms, make detection impossible...in theory."

"In theory?" Garrus echoed. "Well, that sounds promising." He said sarcastically.

"Certainty impossible. Only test is contact with seeker swarms. Look forward to seeing if you survive."

He clicked off the com on his end.

"If they _don't _work, I'm going to find a way to survive just so I can kick his ass." I deadpanned as we moved forward. I recognized the spot from the game- but there weren't any Collectors there, even though there should have been.

"Bourne, does that tower look... familiar to you?" Garrus asked.

"I was just thinking the same thing." Raptor agreed.

"It's either the same ship that took out the Normandy, or it looks close enough to it to fool even my memory." I froze and held up a hand to stop the others as well, cocking my head to the side and listening.

The sound of wings became louder, and I heard words I'd always mocked in the real world. "**Assuming Direct Control." **

Harbinger landed directly in front of me, and several other Collector troops landed on either side of him, a few more on either side of us, flanking us. His four eyes locked with my two.

"**Bourne, your interference has ended." **

"Keep telling yourself that." I threw up a domed barrier as he launched some sort of biotic warp. "Fall back to cover. Focus on the troops and I'll deal with the big guy."

I teleported as I dropped the barrier, appearing right behind Harbinger and throwing a knife into the head of the two troopers next to him.

He slowly turned to face me, utterly calm...as far as I could tell from the emotionless four-eyed face. "**You defeated Nazara and barely survived. Do you expect you can repeat the feat?"**

I was a little surprised that he wasn't just recycling the quotes from the game, but didn't let my surprise show, instead just firing at him with the Dreadshot.

It staggered him, but with his Barrier and Armor it didn't do much more than that. I threw a Dark Channel at him and Charged, weakening his barrier with an explosion and replenishing mine so I could teleport to cover nearby.

"**For all you have done, and all you can do, you are an annoyance- nothing more."**

"Funny, I was about to say the same about you." I saw on my radar a collector was backing up to my cover, and reached over it, grabbing it by the neck and slamming it into the ground, stabbing it in the head with a blade from my belt.

"**You could still be useful to us, but if I must tear you apart I-**" he was cut off and I heard two sniper shots ring out as his body fell to the ground.

"I think that's all of them Jason." I stood up and looked out across the field, then charged over to where the others were.

"Seems like we got a good squad going here- all we had to do was drop their barriers and Jack just tore through them, or set up combos for Miranda and I."  
I gave Raptor a surprised glance.

"Well, I managed to detonate one thing...mostly by accident." She said sheepishly.

"More than I expected." I shrugged.

I suddenly caught motion on my radar and spun around, but it was just a bit too late. "**Assuming Direct Control." **

"That is _already _annoying." I muttered to myself as Harbinger stood up. "Miranda, warp it. Garrus, Shepard, soon as I detonate it, blow his head off again."  
"**Pain is an illusion." **It said as Miranda's attack connected.

"Illusion _this_." I threw a Flare at him, which created an almost blinding explosion- Raptor and Garrus hit their marks anyway, as I could see when it hit the ground.

"That why you told us to deal with the troopers first?" Miranda asked.

"Yeah. Harrrrrd to believe as it is, I think that a Reaper was possessing those things like Sovereign did Saren. But I guess it's better at it, since killing the vessel doesn't kill the calamari too."

"So how the fuck did you know that?" Jack asked.

"I guessed- that 'lava' pattern it had going looked similar to how Saren did when it got zombified...well, except it didn't have a giant gaping hole in the chest, or an eye missing."

"If he's right, that seems like pretty solid proof that the reapers are involved." Garrus said.

I opened my mouth, then shut it as I heard something else in the distance. "Okay, hypothetical question. What if Husks like the ones from Eden Prime were here? Think those might've come from the Reapers?"

"Maybe...you can hear them, can't you."

"It's a rather distinctive noise." I considered my armaments for a moment, and brought my Locust to my right hand. "It's coming from that direction." I started moving towards it.

"I think I'm starting to regret not bringing Grunt." Raptor commented.

"What, you don't think I can handle it just as well?"

"Well, he'd be less annoying and less ugly to have around."

"*gasp* Raptor! That's a _terrible _thing to say about Garrus!"

I didn't turn around to look, but I got the sense both of them- and maybe Miranda- were rolling their eyes at me. Jack was just chuckling next to me.

"You do realize that if one of those things gets close, now I'm that much less likely to pick it off of you?" Garrus deadpanned.

"Garrus, I'm carrying I honestly don't even know how many knives at this point, and...let me put it this way. If at close quarters _I_ manage to get to a position where I'd _need _you to shoot the thing I was dealing with, just go ahead and shoot me in the head too."

"Fine by me."

"If I don't get to him first." Raptor said in a tone that suddenly made me worried about if that did in fact somehow happen.

As if on cue a Husk came at me from around a crate. I didn't have enough room to really charge it, so I just called a knife into each hand and shoved them through its eyes as it lunged at me; it dropped only for a friend to take its place. I slammed my foot into the ground and created a nova, which knocked it back far enough for me to activate both lashes and slam them together- it was crushed between them.

_That was easy...damnit, you'd think by now I'd have learned not to do that. _I scolded myself as a Scion appeared from behind a building. As it launched a shockwave at me I teleported to nearby cover, glad it wasn't the more powerful version from ME3. _That, I don't know if I could deal with. This thing…_ "Keep the other husks off of me, I got the big guy."

I charged at it, but it actually slammed its giant arm into me mid charge, and sent me sprawling to the ground. It raised its massive arm for the killing blow, and I fired the dreadshot at its legs on full power- it sent me flying across the ground and knocked it back slightly. Raptor and Garrus sent a pair of sniper rounds into its chest, only missing the head because I'd made it move.

"Better idea- _we _deal with the big guy from a distance, you deal with the little guys up close."

I grunted reluctant acknowledgement at Garrus and charged the farthest husk.

* * *

When the others caught up with me, I was just getting done tearing a husk in half.

Jack saw one more , and sent it flying into a nearby wall hard enough to make it splatter on impact.

"These things seem like they've been upgraded since Eden Prime." Shepard commented, kneeling near one of the more intact corpses.

"Dunno about upgraded- that electric attack from back then would've been more effective, but they seem to have a bit more armor...I guess the big one could be called an upgrade though." I tossed the husk bits I was holding to the side and grabbed my Assassin.

"It seemed to knock you on your ass pretty easily." Jack commented.

"Yeah, I have to ask how you thought getting that close would work." Miranda said, and it looked like Jack was annoyed that they agreed.

"I was moving at something like mach 2- something that big shouldn't have been able to move fast enough to block me, let alone intercept me." I thought my eyes flashed red in annoyance for a moment, but with the visor nobody saw it if they did. "And the plan was to go on its back or something where it couldn't reach me, plant a few explosives, teleport, make it go kaboom."

"Where'd you get that idea, a video game?" Garrus scoffed.  
"...I'd say that maneuver would be closer to this anime-"

"Let's just get moving." Shepard cut me off. "Before another of those stupid 'assuming direct control' things show back up."

"Looks like a bunker up ahead."

"I got the lock." I said, bringing my left hand up- and Garrus promptly knocked it down.

"Do you really think you'd be able to blast through it with that...what do you call that thing?"

"The dreadshot- _shut up._" I glared as Jack's mouth half-opened. "And I was planning on _hacking _the door with my omni-tool. I swear, I'm going to get one of those for the other hand just so you jackasses stop doing that." I dashed over to it, and interfaced with the locks, studying them a moment.. _Hmm, with Kasumi as a teacher this colony grade security is child's play. _I faked a power outage/restart and the door's panel went to green. "Open Sesame..._and now I have to wonder if anyone here even knows that phrase._"

"From 1001 Arabian Nights, right?" Miranda surprised me. "Ali Baba and the Forty thieves?'"

"Yep...You read that?"

"It wasn't my favorite, but I did once."

"You read the same book, whoopty fucking do." Jack said sarcastically. "Can we just get moving? All these statue looking guys are starting to weird me out."

"Just because _you've _never read a book-"

"Knock it off! Both of you." I snapped at them.

"Save it for the Collectors." Shepard agreed.

I moved forward into the compound. "I can hear you breathing- come out. We aren't going to hurt you...except for perhaps your eyes, from looking at his face." I jerked a thumb at Garrus. "Or mine really."

"Yeah, I was going to say…" He muttered just loud enough to hear.

He popped his head behind a corner, and I could tell he was hesitant as he walked out. "You're...you're human. What're you doing, you'll lead those things right here!"

"We just killed about fifty of them- if anything we're telling them this is the wrong place to be." Raptor responded.

"Maybe the Collectors would've left anyway, since he wasn't answering the door despite them pounding on it." I chuckled.

"Those things are Collectors?" He walked away a bit absently. "They're real? I thought they were just propaganda to keep us in alliance space-"

"Obviously they're not, and they obviously got a lot of people from this colony." I cut him off. "We'll do what we can to get them back, but we need some info. What happened?"

"I don't really know. One second it's just a normal day, the next that giant ship appeared, and these swarms of bugs were stinging everybody, freezing them in place like they was statutes or something. I locked the doors to keep them out but...damnit, it's the Alliance's fault. They built those defense towers and stationed some stupid bitch of an Alliance Rep here."

This time I was sure my eyes were crimson. "That 'stupid bitch of an Alliance Rep' happen to be Chief Ashley Williams?" I managed to sound calm despite wanting to punch something...either because he'd insulted her, or because I was still annoyed at myself for how I'd ended things with her.

"How'd you- Yeah, I think she was some big hero or something. Didn't matter to me though, I just wish the stupid whore never came here."

Garrus and Shepard wisely backed up several steps.

A Light biotic aura appeared around me- blue mixed with barely contained red. "Ashley Williams happens to be my ex-girlfriend."

I saw his face whiten.

"You said something about defense towers. Talk. And if you keep insulting the alliance and or my ex, I'll make you envy what the Collectors did to your friends." I smiled warmly, which made him even more freaked out.

"...Uh, right. They're uh, GARDIAN Lasers. Supposed to shoot down hostile ships, except the targeting never worked. We had to build a massive underground generator for it too- whole thing was a waste of-"

"Strike. _Two_." I said, still smiling, though by now it was probably closer to a slasher's smile than a warm smile.

"...Uh, right. The controls are on the other side of the colony, but like I said, we never got them to actually shoot straight."

"We've got a friend that can figure it out." I stated flatly. "You should probably stay here- otherwise you might get to strike three, and that's never a good thing."

"Uh, right. I'll let you out and lock the door behind you."

I just smirked and teleported out before the door was even open. The others walked through it a moment later.

"Did you really need to put the fear of god into him like that?" Raptor chided.

"I wasn't trying to make him fear god, I was just making him fear me."

"Wiseass."  
"Well, even if I let the alliance insults slide- and it sounded like he was blaming them out of sheer ignorance- you don't just let a man insult an ex you're still on good terms with...a lot of the time even if you're on bad terms it's not cool."

"Didn't _you _break up with her?"

"Yeah, and it wasn't because she was any of the things she was calling her, it was because...because I'm a dumbass in hindsight, can we discuss this some other time when we're not being shot at?"

"...We're not being shot at right now-"

"**Assuming Direct Control!" **

"Nevermind." Raptor groaned and ducked behind cover.

* * *

"Okay, what's the plan now exactly?" Garrus asked as I finished the last Husk in the area by tearing its head off.

My response was to activate the transmitter we'd finally gotten to. "Bourne to Normandy- you read me or is there still too much static?"

"Signal's weak, but we read you Bourne." Joker's voice came back.

"Good- EDI, we need you to interface with the anti-ship batteries- get the targeting online and shake things up for the Collectors."

"So his plan is to give an AI a giant gun and hope it aims at the bad guy instead of us?" Garrus muttered to Shepard.

"No wonder he wouldn't tell us what it was until now."

"You jackasses do remember I've got super-hearing?" I glared back at them. "Can you do it EDI?"

"The errors in the targeting software are easily rectified-"

"But it'll take time to charge up the lasers?" I *guessed.*

"Yes. I suggest you take cover- multiple collector signatures are inbound."

"Of course they are." Raptor sighed as we moved to cover and got ready. "Starting to regret not letting you modify this rifle for the old system- runs through clips pretty fast."

"Oh, so _now _you think they're a stupid idea?" I quipped as the Collectors started to fly in, and Husks began to groan as they charged towards us- easy pickings for biotic combos, especially with Jack and I to really make them potent.

"Well...okay, yeah, you may have been right."

"Can I get that in writing?" I chuckled, bringing my Mosquito into my hands and opening fire on one of the Collector Troops as it ducked behind cover- the electric charge went through the metal and into it, making it stand up so I could blast it with the dreadshot. It's buddy was protected by a barrier, and merely stumbled away- though Raptor's shot tore right through its head.

"You know, I keep forgetting to ask- what type of ammo have you been using?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I've got Incendiary, Disruptor and Cryo, and I've been swapping them out for most of the mission, but I haven't seen you using any mods like that."

"Personally I prefer armor piercing just to make sure the shots go through helmets." Garrus chimed in.

"I don't like messing around with my omni-tool mid fight." I shrugged, slamming a lash into the ground and sending a shockwave at a group of husks. "Throws off my rhythm more than my biotics do."

"What, you can't just apply it at the beginning of a mission?"

"I already have 2 guns that makes things explode, and another gun that has multiple ways to make things explode." I swapped the Mosquito's Electric mines with Incendiaries and set it to a 1 second fuse, moving my fire- pun not intended- to the collector troops.

"What about your other guns then? Plasma Shotgun with incendiary ammo does a lot of damage."

"I think it's does a fuckton of damage as is too." Jack commented, blasting a Collector with a charged blast and dropping it. "Way harder to use my modded ammo with though."

"What type is that?" Garrus asked.

"Warp Ammo- basically you just coat the bullets in biotics."

"...Can you do that?" Raptor asked, looking at me even as she landed a perfect headshot.

"I've heard of it, but I guess I never tried it...didn't want the gun to blow up in my hands or something...and again, exploding ammo." I raised the assassin to prove my point, only to look around the field, then my radar in surprise. "...Did we seriously kill every single one of these guys while having a normal conversation?"

"I wouldn't necessarily call it normal." Miranda commented, looking around warily. "Did that seem-" "Don't say it!" "-Too easy to anyone else?"

"Goddamnit Miranda! You never say it was too easy! Never! It's just asking for trouble!..." Raptor and I looked at each other exasperatedly. "We have known each for way too long if we said all of that in the same order at once…twice."

"What, are you two twins or something?" Jack laughed nervously.

I opened my mouth to reply, only to whip my head around as something appeared on radar, coming in fast.

"What the hell is that?" Jack swore as the Pretorian landed in front of us with a noise between a hiss and a screech.

"You still have your grenade launcher, right?" I muttered to Shepard. She wordlessly brought it off her back into position as I raised my Wasp and Assassin.

It suddenly began to glow, and raised further in the air as its skin cracked and warped. It slammed into the ground and sent up clouds of dirt as it launched its deadly beams at us, and we barely rolled to the side out of the way.

"What the- Did the Reaper just power _that _thing up?" Raptor asked rhetorically in disbelief.

"How many grenades do you have?"

"I've got six shots with this thing." She said, standing up and firing two- they barely scratched the barrier at all.

"...Chearleader, next time you feel like saying something was too easy, you better be talking about someone getting you into bed." Jack groaned.

"Not the time Jack!...I mean that was actually a good burn, but save it for later!" I looked at the beast and readied myself for one of the toughest fights we'd ever have.

* * *

**T117: Finally a cliffhanger that ends up on a Friday! Ahahahahaahah!...Now I sorta get how I write Iron.**

**(You slaughter a bunch of puppies before showing up to this?)**

**)...Please tell me you're kidding.(**

**(Yeah, it was actually a family of racoons...incidentally, if you smell something odd coming from that dumpster down the block, it has nothing to do with me.)**

**)You are a sick and twisted...individuals.(**

Indeed. ***Agreed.***

**(And yet I probably made a few people laugh that wouldn't admit it.)  
)So you're like the Joker if he got a tan, got even uglier, and had his vocal chords stuck in a blender then put back in.(**

**(...You okay Bourne? It's kinda weird to have you complimenting me like this...okay, you just threw a knife through my knee so I'm guessing you're fine.)**

**)Maybe something is wrong- I wasn't aiming at your knee.(**

**(AAAAAAAAH!)**

**)There we go, hit the target that time.(**

**(You asshole! You're making me bleed all over the carpet!)**

**T117: Great. I guess I better sign off and go buy some more cleaning stuff since you idiots used it all by now.**

***I told you you should have gotten two bottles instead of one...maybe three this time, I owe Iron back for a few things.***

**(Gulp.)**

**T117: Sayonara.**


	27. Explosions and Ex-Girlfriends?

_Christ, at this rate the Reapers are just going to land here before this thing's even scratched! _I rolled behind a crate to avoid the Pretorian's laser beams and tossed a warp at it blindly. It connected, and Jack detonated it with a shockwave. The bug was knocked off balance slightly, but its barrier was still at at least half strength. And we'd been fighting the thing for easily fifteen minutes.

"Damnit- that's the last of the power cells here!" Raptor swore.

I grimaced in acknowledgement as I ducked next to her her, feeling the heat of the laser as it went over our heads."I've already gone through most of two ammo blocks for the mosquito- none of the permutations are having much effect…We need a new strategy."

"Did we even have a first strategy?" Garrus chimed in over the comm. "We've at least weakened it a bit- if we can keep up the fire it'll go down eventually."

"Yeah, but your concussive shots and special ammo aren't doing shit. Only reason we got it down this far is that we can blow it the fuck up with biotics." Jack countered. "And I dunno about the cheerleader or scarface, but even I have limits."

I wiped sweat from my brow and grunted agreement. "It's taking a lot of my energy just to keep moving fast enough to not get blasted...And the guns aren't charged yet, so we can't risk bringing in the Normandy to just hit this thing from orbit- the collectors could just knock it out of the sky." I put a hand on my chin, thinking quickly. "Ammo blocks or thermal clips are going to run out eventually- probably too soon for anyone's liking. Biotics aren't going to last either, genemods and cybernetics or not, and we don't have the tech attacks to bring it down without them."

"I really hope you're working your way to an idea." Garrus commented.

"We can't just whittle this thing down- we need to end this now, hit it with everything we've got...it's that or we can _try _making a strategic retreat."

"We're not running away." Raptor said flatly.

"Yeah, but I thought I'd mention it on the off chance anyone here is feeling at all sane...nobody? Good so it's not just me that's insane." I aimed the Dreadshot at the ground and launched into the air over our cover- and had to immediately twist in the air to charge to the ground, barely avoiding the praetorian's lasers.

It was still as I stood up, and for a moment we simply glared at each other- waiting for the other to make the first move. I half expected the Reaper possessing it to speak like it had before with the collectors.

It suddenly stumbled as Miranda warped it, and I activated both lashes, bringing them up to slam together into the creature. It instead jumped into the air, and the lashes became tangled below it. It hooked the tangle with its legs, and I barely managed to kill the power before it would've used them to drag me into it.

It was suddenly hit with a pair of shots from Raptor and Garrus, though by the way it turned to them and screeched all they'd done was piss it off.

It lunged at them, and I reached for it biotically- I couldn't stop the momentum entirely, but I managed to make it miss them as it slammed into the ground instead, and worked its way back up as I did my best to hold it down while they got to a better position.

I finally had to let it go, and it promptly turned back towards me. I charged to a crate nearby and watched it on my radar again.

_(It shouldn't be this hard for you to beat it.)_

For several seconds, I froze. _No, no- he- he couldn't be alive. __Can't __be alive._

_(Who said I was alive?) _Iron's scarred visage appeared in front of me, transparent and for the world indistinguishable from a ghost.

_You're not-... )You're not real. I killed you.(_

_(Uh, no. __**You **__didn't kill me. __**Sovereign **__did that for you...there was this other time that you snapped a clone of me's neck, but that doesn't count.) _He shrugged, crimson armor glinting in the sun even as light went right through it.

_)...Do you ever make _any _sense at all?(_

_(I made a legit point right off the back! This thing shouldn't be _this _hard for you to kill.)_

For a second I told myself not to argue with what had to be a hallucination- thinking at it was bad enough without actually 'talking over the link' at it.

_(I mean, what, did your balls drop off in the past 2 years?)_

_)No, and at least I have a pair to begin with unlike you.( _I snapped.

_(Ooo, so you've still got some fire left. But come on dude, seriously. That's a possesed pretorian, yeah, but you've dealt with way worse- I mean you blasted a chunk of Reaper that was falling on you hard enough you dented it! Dreadnoughts had trouble scratching a Reaper but you just hit it hard enough to warp the shit out of it.)_

_)Yeah, and nearly died in the process.(_

_(You've nearly died like a hundred other times, and that's rounding way the hell down. My point is- if you can kick my ass, then blast a Reaper, why are you getting your asses kicked by a giant bug?)_

_)...(_

_(Yeah, exactly. What's up with that? Did you lose your drive? I mean, now that Raptor's back up and kicking, and you've got people who have pretty legit reasons to want you dead, are you just going to lie down and die like a bitch? Or are you going to stop hiding behind this crate, tear that thing several new assholes, and try getting your woman back?...I mean, that last bit is optional since you've got bald girl or super super hot girl over there...or maybe Super-hot-hips Vas whatever when you recruit her after this, but you get the point.)_

_)I thought you hated Tali?(_

_(I do, but that doesn't mean she doesn't have a nice ass...not as nice as Miranda, but with your face you oughta take what you can get.)_

_)You said you somehow hooked up with Miranda and your face is twice, no _thrice _as fucked up as mine.(_

_(Exactly- so stop cowering like a bitch and show that thing why you're a fucking Spectre!)_

_)...Did you just come back from the dead to give me a goddamn pep talk?(_

_(Or your subconscious decided I'd be better for a pep talk than Hero. Or you're as crazy as me but in a way that you just see shit that's not there instead of killing everyone. But either you kill that thing, and shut me up, or we can keep talking until you do.)_

I half growled as I leaned out of cover and fired the dreadshot at the creature, stopping its lunge at me and forcing it backwards slightly too.

_(Oh come on- you think the _NAILGUN _is going to work on that thing?)_

_)It's called. A. Fucking! __**Dreadshot!**__( _I hit it again, full blast- I went flying back nearly as far as it was sent back- it actually did a roll as I caught it off balance.

"Okay motherfucker. You want to see me do some damage? I'm going to do some fucking damage!"

_(You said that outloud, you know that right?)_

"Arrrrrrrrrrgggggghhhhh!" I charged it mid roll and it ended up upside down on its head as I blasted it again with the Dreadshot, sending it across the ground and causing dust and grass to fly into the air.

"You weren't kidding when you said we needed to hit this thing with everything." Garrus commented, sounding slightly awed.

_(Ooo- can you imagine if he found out you were talking to me? He'd trust you even less. I mean, he didn't trust you much to begin with- who the hell would- but add this in? He'd think you were crazy- which for the record I think you are. Also-) _A red haze filled my vision as a ringing filled my ears, drowning out Iron's words, if they were still there at all.

The creature got back on its feet as I lifted several of my knives into the air and held them aloft in front of me- held in the glowing now-red energy field, they lined up with its legs perfectly. I let out a wild yell as I charged it, and the blades came along for the ride, actually going faster than me with the less mass.

They hit its legs dead on, and almost severed it- causing it to fall just slightly so that I slammed right into its open maw. It was knocked back as I cut partway through it with the force of the attack. _(OOO- not bad. You could just warp it or something and crawl out. Actually, you should do that- it's as lame as you tend to be-)_

I pulled all the energy I'd massed into my barrier, and threw my arms out, smashing through the weakened mass of organic material and metal, and released everything I had in a single nova burst.

I was blinded by my own powers, and I was left blinking, even with the visor to protect me from the worst of it.

_(Well, that'll be enough to shut me up.)_

The buzzing in my ears was replaced with a wet dripping sound, and a moment later I realize it was coming from me- I felt liquid sliding down my neck, almost into the armor. As I blinked and my vision started to return, I looked down at the ground, and my eyes widened further the more I took in the scene.

Bits of the creature were scattered everywhere, and I was covered in its blood and guts- there was a mostly intact huskified human skull nearby my foot, and that was the largest chunk I could see.

"Holy fuck remind me to never get on his bad side." Jack summed it up rather well.

I fell backwards onto the ground in exhaustion. "If there's any more of those things... someone else can deal with them."

"We're not done yet-" Raptor stopped short as the cannons finally powered up, turning to fire at the Collector's ships half a dozen times. Perhaps realizing they'd lost the advantage, or simply propelled by my reality warping powers, the ship powered up, and lifted off, the cannons tracking it to deliver a few more blows as it flew out of sight.

"No! Don't let them get away! Half the colony's in there!" The mechanic from before yelled, running towards the ship- and since he was looking at it, and not the ground, he tripped over my head and landed on top of me.

I didn't bother moving- I just used the biotics to blast him off of me, and he landed a few feet away on his face; the nova also cleared off most of the blood and gore that was covering me, to my surprise and as much pleasure as I could manage just then.

"What else do you want us to do?" Raptor asked both kindly and exasperatedly.

"But they took Sam, and Egin, and...and Lilith, you've got to do something!" He said as he got back to his feet.

"I can throw you up there after them." I deadpanned.

"Oh, yeah, you're a big help."

"If it hadn't been for Bourne and Shepard, you'd be on that ship with them too. Everyone would." Garrus surprised me by reaching down to help me up- which I accepted after a moment since I didn't have the energy to turn him down.

"Wait a second-" He turned to look at us. "I know those names...aren't you some sorta big alliance heroes or something?"

The way my heart rate sped up had nothing to do with the fight I'd just been through.

"Jason Bourne, and Raptor Shepard. The first human Spectres, the saviors of the Citadel...a ghost and a man I never thought I'd see again." Ashley stepped into view, limping slightly.

"All the people we lost, and you get left behind. Figures. Screw this- I'm done with you alliance types."

I flicked a knife into hand and glanced at Raptor, who just shook her head and mouthed 'no.' I was still more than tempted to ignore her and at least get him in the foot or something.

I managed to step away from Garrus and stand up mostly straight as she walked towards me- and I had no idea whether she was going to ignore me, slap me, hug me, kiss me, or all of the above.

Judging by the way she stopped in front of me, she had no idea how to react either, and for a moment we just stood in silence looking at each other.

"You never sent me a single message." She finally said.

"...I know...Alliance wouldn't tell me where you were." I said, figuring it was pretty much true...I just neglected to mention when I'd asked and not asked.

"...What are you doing here?"

"Long version or short version?"

"The truth would be nice."

"...Okay, well...um...little help here?" I looked at Raptor.

"Yeah, I was going to ask about her." Ashley turned to look at her, and I couldn't tell whether or not it was a glare. "I mean...I saw you after the Normandy was destroyed...you said you saw her drift off into space after pushing you back in."

"He did." Raptor cut in before I could. "My suit was damaged- drifted for a while, ended up in a coma...Cerberus found me, brought me back to full health."

I had to fight a wince as she took a step back, and maybe took in Miranda's armor. "You two are with Cerberus now?"

"It's not that simple Ashley." I set my shoulders, trying to sound more confident than I was. "She was...I'll spare you the details, but it was bad, and it took most of two years to bring her back...lots of cybernetics just to get her heart working right, or anything working really...They're bastards, and I fully intend to take them down first chance I get-" I saw Miranda glaring at me from the corner of my eye- "But for now, they're the only people- and I use the term loosely- willing to admit the Reapers are a real threat. It's them that're giving the Collectors their tech- giving the orders."

"How can you be sure it's not Cerberus working with the Collectors? Lying to you about the Reapers?"

"I'm sure it's the Reapers." I said with more conviction than I thought I'd be able to. "Their work is rather...do you think after all we found out going up against Saren _I'd _be unable to tell whether it was Sovereign's friends that created something? I don't make the same mistake twice."

She turned and walked away a few steps, obviously trying to process this. "Is this why you never contacted me?"

"...What do you want me to say? Ash, I complain about it almost every damn day, and I do want them gone, but the fact is I'm all but working for terrorists- even if I'm still in the Alliance, and they overlooked that part where I outrank you- I didn't want that brought down on your head."

"...Prove to me that it's really you."

"What?"

She turned around to face me, face looking slightly red. "How do I know it's really you, or really Shepard? You could just be imposters claiming to be you- claiming to be Garrus too."

"Was she this paranoid before?" Garrus muttered, barely audible.

"Or it could be the real you brainwashed- it was Cerberus that abducted you after you passed out at the battle of the Citadel, wasn't it?"

"You think they could've brainwashed me? I mean since the last group was...my mind is my own." Halfway through I thought of how I'd heard Iron before, and my voice wavered. I tried to cover it up. "If you really want me to prove it's me…" I reached up to deactivate the visor. "I don't know how I can. It's been two years since we…over two years. I have a perfect memory, but I can't track the ways I've changed. I saw my best friend die, found out she was still alive, was forced to work with a group I hated to combat a greater evil...A lot of things changed." I deactivated the gauntlets and cupped her chin gently. "The one thing that didn't, was that I thought about you every day."

"...Were you trying to prove that you're you? Because that was probably the sappiest thing I've ever heard you say, and now _I _half-think you're an imp-" I put her in Stasis mid sentence, breaking eye contact with Ash long enough to glare at her.

"Raptor, if I need help making out with an Asari, I'll be sure to ask for _your _advice. But since Ash is actually the same species as me, I think it's a bit outside your area of expertise, so *with all due respect*- put a sock in it!"

"It really is you." Ash breathed.

"In the extremely scarred flesh." I smiled, and snapped my fingers, letting Raptor out of the stasis. I could tell without looking she was giving me a death glare.

"...You hurt me, leaving like that." Ashley said, and the sad tone she said it with hurt far worse than if she'd just stabbed me in the arm. "I moved on...but now you're here. Pulling me back in...and you're working with Cerberus, working with the people who murdered an Alliance Admiral, who were using the worst creatures they could to make an army, who were responsible for the massacre of your best friend's entire unit."

"I know." I said firmly. "And you know what? They've done a lot worse- I've hacked into some of their files, and there's _nothing _good. Things that'd haunt me till my dying day even if my memory was normal. But as bad as they are- the Reapers are worse. And they are coming. How long before _they _get to Horizon? Or Eden Prime? Or Thessia, Sur'kesh, Palavan, Dekuuna, Irune, Kahje, Tuchanka, or _Earth_?" I pointed a finger at the sky, where the Collectors had gone. "I've seen the horrors Cerberus did- but that ship, all those colonists- those were the Reapers doing. And if I have to work with the people that murder Admirals to stop the things that can, will, and have wiped out all life in the galaxy- I'll do it... I'll probably burn in hell for it, but at least I'll burn knowing I was doing something to help prevent it, instead of blindly ignoring it like the Alliance and the Council."

Ashley recoiled, and I realized that not only had my biotics flared up around me, but they were bright crimson.

"...Did I mention that I got my amps upgraded but it sorta had this as a side effect?" I asked sheepishly. I shook my head and continued. "But that reaction just now? Because...he was just _a _creation of the Reapers...just _one_. If they make _others _like Iron, or worse...I won't- _can't _stand by and let that happen." My biotics faded back to blue, then faded altogether. I was somewhat amazed I could still use them at all, given how much I'd exerted myself before.

"...It doesn't matter. I still know where my loyalties lie-"

"So do I." I cut her off. "I left because I was trying to avoid something like this- trying avoid digging the knife deeper...Instead I guess it's just one more thing I'll burn for." I turned and walked a few steps before charging to the other side of the area. I faintly heard Shepard saying something- I didn't know whether it was to me or Ashley.

I didn't care. I just kept walking, slamming the doors shut behind me.

I didn't know long it was before my radio started buzzing, nor how long before I finally answered it and heard Raptor's voice. "Bourne- where the hell are you?"

I grunted something that meant "I don't know or care."

"...I get it if you want to be alone, but-"

"Good." I clicked the comm off, and kicked at the ground angrily.

I saw something fly up into the air in front of me, and put up a barrier on instinct as it exploded, knocking me back. I instinctively rolled to my knees, both hands on a weapon and scanning the area.

"Damn, we figured your new ex might distract you a bit, but the others didn't really think my ambush would work."

I spun and threw a blade from each shoulder at Isaac's voice, but they just went right through.

"Personally, _I _didn't think you'd fall for the decoy...guess we were all wrong then."

"You _were _wrong, if you thought that now was a good time to piss me offaaaa!" I punched the drone in retaliation for the electric shock, my biotics absolutely tearing it apart. "That's it-you're fucking dead!" I charged at the faint blip on my radar, but slammed into the hex shield he hastily put up. It didn't stop me entirely, but it slowed me down enough that we fell to the ground on top of each other, and he managed to blast me off with his omni-tool, also getting a running start.

"Catch me if you can!" He taunted as he cloaked again. This time the motion didn't seem to interfere with the stealth as much; I couldn't see him well enough to use the biotics or shoot accurately, but I could tell where he was well enough to follow him through the now-mostly-abandoned settlement.

_So either the stabwound last time made it harder to tell where he was cause I was distracted, I've improved since then...or he's deliberately making it easier for him to follow me. Probably to lead me into a trap._

I stopped short, partially from the realization that I was probably playing into his hands by following him, partially because I realized I was still worn out from fighting the pretorian...and partially because he'd just climbed up about twenty feet vertical steel plating, Assassin's creed style.

_If I follow him...Argh, it'd be idiotic to follow him as is. I'm not at my peak, no backup, and no idea what I'm walking into...I hate letting him just get away, but I'd rather fight him on something closer to my terms._

_*Well, that's one way to look at it.*_

I groaned audibly, though I kept one eye where Isaac had disappeared, and another on my radar in case he or Slade tried to suprise me.

_*Yeah, good to see you too.* _Hero- or the hallucination of her- sounded amused rather than insulted.

_)I didn't _say _it was good to see you.(_

_*Yeah, didn't really expect you to.* _Now there was definite disapproval in her tone. _*But I'm glad you're still level headed enough to not walk into a trap.*_

_)I'm talking to a ghost for the second time today- not exactly what I'd call levelheaded...why do I keep responding to you two and making it worse?(_

_*...Am I a ghost if I've died more than once? Or am I some sort of 'super ghost'?*_

_)Do you honestly think I care or know?( _I put a hand on my chin, considering my next move. _The smart thing to do would be to swallow my pride and just call the Shepard that's a zombie instead of a hallucination...for backup at the very least, but extracting would be smarter._

_*Don't remember you ever running away before...glad to see you've matured.*_

_)Shut up.( _I put a hand to my comm, but all I got was static. I brought up my omni-tool, and swore quietly. _Disruptors or something cutting them off. _I heard a faint buzzing noise and looked up to see that barriers were up behind where we'd come...too high to get over, and I couldn't go around...even if I did, I'd have just been telling them I didn't want to fight them, making me look like a softer target.

_*No way to go but forward.*_

_)Could stay here, wait for them to come to me...get my stamina back a bit.(_

_*They lead you here, so odds are they scoped out the area...might be dangerous to just stay here.*_

_)Dangerous either way, might as well pick the option that'll leave me less tired out. And I could go after Isaac and have Slade stab me from behind. That wouldn't be any more fun for me than it was for Thane.(_

There was no reply, and for a moment I thought I'd finally gotten rid of her.

_*You're going to have to deal with them sooner or later.*_

_)Yeah, and later-(_

_*They seem to know everything you do. They'll probably be waiting for you on Illium too- could be with the eclipse after Miranda's sister, could be at Nassana's place waiting for you to come for Thane-* _Her voice seemed to break at that, making me marvel at my own insanity's attention to detail- _*or they could be waiting for you in the Eclipse base when you go for Samara...they might even be waiting for you on Haestrom. Or Praggia, or Tuchanka or... There's no way to know.*_

_)...I do want to know who 'she' is that they keep talking about...'a scorned lover' of mine.(_

_*You're probably not going to like the answer.*_

_)No...I'm almost certainly not.( _I walked towards the wall Isaac had climbed and activated my lashes, swinging them up onto the ledge near the top and wrapping them around a couple poles nearby. Using the same mass lowering trick as when I'd skydived before, I also began to shorten the lashes, pulling myself straight up and over the wall, eyes still scanning for something.

_*Is that a rose?* _Hero's ghostly form walked past me, kneeling on the ground, and there was in fact a rose near her hand.

_How did the hallucination see that before me?...Either rose is a hallucination too or subconsciously saw it so hallucination saw it too… why is it here? Deliberate, taunting from Slade or Isaac?...or colonist dropped it during attack. No, looks exactly like earth flower. May have been brought here, but single freshly cut flower would be expensive out here...placement is unlikely too, even with reality warping. Has to be deliberate._

_*Since when do you sound like Mordin when you're thinking?*_

_)...Don't know.( _I lifted the rose into the air biotically, deliberately making it go through Hero just to try to prove to myself that she wasn't real; she glared and rolled her eyes at me, then turned on her heels and vanished as I brought the rose into my hand and crushed it.

I saw another rose nearby, and another beyond that. It was an obvious path...and an obvious trap.

_Seems like Hero- or at least my perception of her- would follow the path. Iron's stupid and insane, so he would to...what would Raptor do?...she'd probably have me go in and watch my back through a scope._

"What's the matter- don't you trust me?" The feminine voice came from directly behind me, and I was thrown through the air before I could fully spin around. I landed hard, but managed to roll to my feet and face the newcomer.

I was surprised to see what looked like a female collector, with a black and grey color scheme not unlike my own. Then I noticed it-or she- had five fingers rather than three, and realized it was a human wearing Collector modeled armor...and evidently as stealthy as me.

"Don't take it personally- I don't trust anyone." I quipped, activating my lashes and slamming them into the ground for a shockwave. It raced towards her, and she suddenly just wasn't there. I stood staring at the now vacant spot for several seconds, before I was thrown to the side by a stronger blast than last time.

"Pretty smart policy around here." She said, slowly walking towards me. I made a show of struggling to get back up, and suddenly let loose with the dreadshot, catching her square in the gut and making her double over. I took advantage and charged at her, knocking her against a wall, then blasting her again with the dreadshot since my barrier was back up.

She put up a domed barrier of her own that stopped the blast, and she got back to her feet. With her head fully covered by the helmet, it was impossible to see her expression. But my veins got a bit cold as she locked eyes with me. I could almost _sense _the hate she had for me, despite having no idea why.

"You're better than last time we fought." She said, standing up. "But then, so am-" I let loose with the dreadshot, trying to catch her off guard by interrupting her. As the beam raced towards her, she leaned slightly to the side, and in a flash of biotics disappeared and reappeared just to the side so the beam didn't affect her at all.

_The hell?! She can teleport too?!_

"Yeah, you never did seem to remember that I could do that." She said, apparently sensing my surprise. "Heard you can do it now too."

My response was to teleport behind her, and sweep her legs out from under her with a lash, using the other to slam her into the ground. "Yeah, and here's another trick I figured out-" I dropped a Flare directly on top of her, and jumped back as it went off, averting my eyes so I wasn't blinded. I looked back and saw she'd disappeared again.

"Flare?" I whipped around to see her casually leaning against the side of a building. "Not bad, but I prefer _this _trick." She drew her hands back and then slammed them forward, sending a slow but large bubble of energy at me. I didn't have the biotics back yet, so I had to settle for a sprint and combat roll to avoid it- though I didn't completely escape the detonation.

_Dark Sphere, teleporting...and she's at least as strong as I am...no idea what else she can do either..._I glanced down at my right hand, arguing with myself again.

Pain suddenly shot through me as she appeared in front of me, turning around and kicking me in the face too.

"Did you figure out that 'warp strike' yet? I still can't do it with poison, but warping you as I go through you is pretty effective too."

She lifted me off the ground biotically, and held me in front of her for a moment before simply throwing me down the street, past all the roses that lay on the path. I was barely on my feet before she 'warp striked' me a second time, and this time she reached behind her to throw me over her head.

"Shouldn't exhausted yourself against that bug like that." She chided as I landed in the doorway of some sorta large metal warehouse or barn. I saw Isaac and Slade looming over me as she lifted me into the air between them, then slammed me against the far wall.

"Told you he wouldn't fall for the roses." Isaac chortled, only to silence himself at a single look from her.

She held her hand out, motioning for her to give her something, and he took something from his belt. She ripped it out of his hands, not bothering to wait for him to throw it, and sent it flying at me. She let me drop as it locked around my wrist, and I realized a moment later it was an anti-biotic restraint. I grabbed my assassin from my thigh and managed to get off a few shots which simply bounced off the barrier she put up around them. She ripped it from my hands, and I felt my trigger finger break as it bent the wrong way. I went for a gun with my other hand, but she simply took all my guns and threw them off to the side.

"Please tell me you're going to go for your knives next." Slade said sardonically.

I simply stood up, glaring at them from behind the visor. _Throwing knives at a biotic, let alone two. Yeah, that'd be really _smart._..knew I should've walked away when I had the chance._

"Let's not hide behind masks here." With a wave of her hand the visor flew off my head, then deactivated itself and tucked itself neatly onto my belt. "There, that's much better."

I let my eyes go crimson, but she didn't recoil like the other two. In fact, I thought she was rolling her eyes.

"Do you really think that we'd be scared of a little light show? It's three on one, you've got no biotics or weapons, and you're already exhausted."

"Then why are you on the other side of the room instead of over here proving you're not scared of _me_?" I said it in my normal voice.

"Because we're not stupid." Slade answered.

"And because you're ugly enough from a distance. I am kinda scared of getting closer to to your face." Isaac quipped, making both men laugh.

The woman just kept staring at me unflinchingly. "Take off your helmets."

Both of them stopped mid laugh and looked at her in what had to be disbelief. "What?"

"It wasn't a request." The tone in her voice, and the biotics around her hand made it clear that she was the one calling the shots.

After a glance at each other, than at me, both of them raised their hands to their helmets and slowly pulled them off, tucking them under their arms.

Isaac's face I'd already seen back on Omega, so I was ready for it this time. Muddy-brown eyes, messy black hair down to his ears, and mutton chops down to the side of his mouth. He was also missing part of his right ear now, courtesy of Raptor.

Slade's face was completely unfamiliar to me though. Despite the name, two intact emerald eyes glared at me. His head was shaved, and in some places looked like it had heavy burn scars where hair couldn't have grown at all. His nose was crooked slightly- it had obviously been broken at some time in the past. And there was a scar on the right side of his lips that looked like it was from a blade.

She seemed to be studying my face- which was still in its normal pokerface. "He doesn't seem to recall who you are." She said to Slade.

"Why would that be?"

"Your face got fucked up more than mine with all the experimentation. Eyes changed colors too." Isaac shrugged.

"Well then...let's see if mine rings a bell." She slowly put her hands to her helmet, and it looked like she was doing something to unlock it. Slowly, the back of the helmet seemed to widen, and she removed it, tucking it under her arm like the others were doing. I kept my eyes on the helmet, not sure I wanted to see her face.

"Look at me." She demanded.

"If I do, are you going to get a move on with whatever you're doing here? I've faced death a lotta times, but you're the first group I've met that've actually managed to make it boring."

My arms were suddenly yanked out to the sides, and I rose into the air like I was on an invisible cross.

"You can look at me- or I can cut your eyes out with your own knives." She said, sounding completely calm...and utterly serious.

I decided it was better to risk looking at her, and slowly moved my eyes to her face.

The first thing I noticed was how pale she was. Her hair wasn't just blond, it was almost silver. If her eyes hadn't been the brilliant sky blue they were, I'd have been certain she was an albino. The only other color on her face was her rose-red lipstick, worn on incredibly thin lips. I couldn't decide if she was beautiful, or even pretty, but there was a...presence to her that would've made her stunning if she looked like a hag.

Looking at her took my breath away...and I had absolutely no idea who she was.

"...So, where exactly do you know me from?" I finally said.

Her response was to slam me into the ground. "You know damn well who we are!"

I slowly managed to push myself up, looking her dead in the eye. "...Oh, I know now. You're here about all those unpaid taxes."

Her eye twitched.

"See, I don't really have to pay taxes cause of the whole spectre thing- I mean, technically I do but since I can't go to jail or anything for not paying them-" I flew into the wall again, and my knives flew from my boots, then stabbed into the wall on either side of my neck, just millimeters away from drawing blood.

"Do you think this is a joke?" Her calm tone was back now.

"Well, I figure cracking jokes is a better plan than sobbing at the threat of my own death...or torture, whatever you're planning." I shook my head as much as I could between the hilts of the blades. "I'll tell you this though- you'll get no satisfaction from whatever you do to me. No screams of pain, no shed tears- just a still-smiling corpse." I smiled just to prove my point.

"...Are we sure this is the right person, er wrong person?" Slade said after several moments of silence from all three. "I don't remember Mike being such a dumbass before."

_...Mike? _My smile dropped just slightly in confusion.

"...He doesn't know." She said in disbelief.

"Okay, you know what? You guys are probably about to kill me, so I'll toss out some guesses. You guys are from the real world too, aren't you?"

"...It's a good thing we are, or we'd probably just shoot you, then wonder how a crazy person got to where you are." Isaac commented.

"But if you had to _guess _that…" She locked eyes with me, and I met her gaze evenly, fairly certain my eyes had gone purple. "...You don't know who we are, do you?"

"Oh, so when _you _say it's all cool, but when I say that, I get slammed into the ground?"

She cocked her head to the side, obviously thinking. "Jason Bourne…" She turned back to them. "A trained killer...known for his amnesia."

"You're not saying what I think you are?" Slade raised an eyebrow slightly.

"It would explain a lot." Isaac said after a minute.

She turned back to me. "Can you even guess my name?"

"...Got a weird gut feeling here- does it start with an L?"

She slapped me across the face, and it felt almost as hard as one of Raptor's blows.

"...maybe a C? That hit felt like one from someone who's name started with a C…except it also felt like someone who'd have red hair so that's out."

Her face distorted with anger, and she put a hand on my forehead. Pain exploded across every nerve in my body, and the only reason I didn't actually groan was that my jaw was locked together. Memories flashed in front of me- every moment between waking up on Eden Prime and first becoming a Spectre.

It stopped suddenly, leaving me breathless as she yanked her hand away.

"This...this isn't what I expected at all." She grabbed me by the chin, and moved my head so I was looking her in the eye.

We held eachothers gaze for a long moment. Then suddenly she was pulling me into a very passionate- on her end- kiss. She also released the biotics, and I had full control of my arms to knock her away and yank my neck out from between my own knives. I grabbed one in each hand as I dropped into a combat stance on instinct, lashing out with the blades and driving her back, intentionally missing her by several inches. "The hell was that?"

Her eyes flashed with anger...and pain. Then she threw me back against the wall and yanked the blades out of my hands.. "Do you remember anything!? Anything?!"

"Uh-" Slade clamped a hand over Isaac's mouth, giving him a look that roughly translated to "don't fucking interrupt the crazy chick you moron!"

"You don't remember all the pain we suffered at Saren's hands? All the experiments? The times they forced us to fight each other?!" She grabbed my head in her hands. "The time before any of that, when we were...when we…" She stopped as she saw the look in my eyes. I wasn't even bothering to hide my confusion by this point.

I had several guesses about who she was….but I honestly didn't know. And she could tell.

She stepped away like I'd hit her in the gut.

"...Jason Bourne...you don't even remember your own name, do you?"

"I don't remember his name, I don't remember the other guy's name-" I gestured with my head at the other two. "I don't have _any _clue who the hell you are- why is my name of note here?"

She looked almost depressed. "Damn it...damn you." She shook her head, and I saw tears welling in the corner of her eyes. "For a second, I thought maybe...maybe 'omega' was gone, and...Michael was still in there...instead both are gone."

"...What?"

* * *

**)...What.(**

**T117: So, this chapter was way longer than normal partially just because I couldn't find a spot to break it in half, and partially because why the hell not.**

**)You...I...I don't even…(**

**(But the best part of this chapter- come on Hero, fist bump, we're (sorta) back!)**

***No.***

**(Ah come on, just one time?)**

***...Fine.***

**(Oww! I said fist bump, not try to break my hand!)**

Perhaps you should have suggested a high five instead.

**(Yeah, thanks for the tip. So, do we really want to screw around with an A/N since...well...aside from the fact this chapter's already longer than some chapters of project U-)**

***Project U?***

**(I got tired of saying 'that thing I know about that you and Bourne don't remember' so that's the new name for it. Anyway, between that and the fact that this chapter is kinda a tough act to follow…that and the fact that Bourne just keeps staring blankly at the screen without really typing anything else.)**

**T117: Heh, wait until...uh, a chapter in the future. Then he'll really be-**

***Okay, there's trolling that works, and then there's just failing and just being an ass.***

**T117: Meh, I can live with either one. Anyway, Sayonara.**


	28. Losing Part of Yourself

"Jesus H Christ." Slade exclaimed from behind the woman- whose name I still didn't know despite her trying to french me- "You're telling me that...that we wasted the last two years trying to kill _this _guy?"

"Maybe...but then again maybe not." She turned towards me, and let me slump to the floor again.

"Will you make up your damn mind?! Either keep me up there or just leave me on the fucking floor!"

"That sounds like Michael." Isaac commented.

She swung her fist at my head, though it was obvious she was testing to see if I could block it; I could have, easily, but let it hit instead, and rolled with it as I fell to the ground, making it seem worse than it was.

"...Omega could have blocked that easily."

"Or let it hit just to make us think it wasn't him." Isaac countered Slade's point, much to my detriment. "Remember how his eyes were glowing red back on Korlus, trying to trick us then? What if that was a double trick? Like that was him being his real self, and the rest of the time he's been faking?"

_...Wow, these guys are paranoid enough to make _me _seem overly trusting._

"Possibly…" The woman turned back to me. "What's my name?"

"I've narrowed it down to not starting with L or C."  
She kicked me in the chest- or tried to, since that time I did block it and throw it to the side, letting out an annoyed grunt as my broken trigger finger made contact with the side of her boot.

"Maybe cutting off some fingers would loosen his tongue a bit." Isaac suggested as I stood back up, reaching towards the sword on his back.

"Dude, I've been impaled, shot, stabbed, poisoned- which is really fucking hard to do to me by the way!- burned severely, shocked with electricity, slashed by a cybernetically enhanced turian, got my brain fried by an Asari, I've been hit with a goddamn rocket to the back, and don't even get me started on how hard Shepard can punch! So if you think cutting off my fingers is going to do anything but make me even uglier than I already am-" I flipped him off with both hands. "Here they are dickhead: two easy targets!"

"...What about cutting off your toes?"

I groaned and facepalmed in response.

"He's either a good actor, or he's got brain damage." Slade commented. "Possibly both."

"I don't know- it could be either." She said, torn between hope and rage.

"Either what?" I held up a hand to forestall her response. "Okay- another guess. You guys were also 'friends' of a certain Turian Spectre I killed."  
"Which one?" Slade snarked. "When you killed Nihlus for Saren, or when you turned on your master to get in deeper with Shepard?"  
"...Did you three like, make out with drell before this or are on you just on some really potent red sand? Seriously, what the hell?!"  
She lifted me into the air just enough to slam me into the wall again.

"Okay, then now leave me up here until we're done with this conversation, will you?...And seriously, can you just tell me your fucking name so I stop having to be like 'she' or 'that bitch' in my head?"

"Why? That's what I do about her."

"Isaac, have I ever told you that I find you hilarious? Because if I did say that, I was lying." She turned back to glare at him.

"Yeah, I could say the same about you being not a bitch."

She turned back to me. And then he flew against the far wall.

"Showoff!" He mumbled into the floor.

"You're just jealous because you're the only one here without biotics…" I blinked. "Wait, how the hell do I know that? I mean, you haven't used them, but somehow am sure that you don't...and damnit, I said all that out loud didn't I."

"Yep." "Uh-huh."

"Damnit, _I_ _really need to work on that…_" I muttered.

"Also-" He pulled the sword off his back and held it one handed in front of him. "You're probably just jealous that you don't have anything as cool as this sword."  
"Yeah, one oversized 'Freud was right I'm compensating for something' blade that you can't even throw- I'm _so _jealous." It suddenly impacted into the wall an inch from my ear.

"You were saying jackass?" He did something with his hand, and the blade flew back through the air, apparently with microjets or something. "And it's also electric- I could've not only stabbed you through the eye, I could've tased you at the same time."  
"...It would've been more threatening if you'd said it the other way around." Slade commented.

"Yeah, Tasering doesn't sound so bad compared to losing an eye...also, electricity doesn't really work on me so you fail twice."  
"Kinda like you failed to get with-" He was put in stasis mid sentence, and after a moment Slade joined him.

"Now that they're done *interrupting*, maybe I can actually get something done." She said, glaring at them both before looking back at me.

"What, are you going to make out with me again?"  
Her response was to throw both of them outside, and slam the door shut behind them. I could still see, but it was a lot darker.

"Maybe. Or maybe a little bit more too..." She said in a flirty voice. "...that depends on you." Her voice went back to a controlled calm.  
"...Yeah, even if you guys _didn't _try to kill me several times, and I hadn't just gotten out of a relationship...well, actually, those are pretty much reason enough without elaborating further, so the answer is 'do not want'."

"...You realize of course that if I really wanted to, there wouldn't be much you could do to stop me from doing whatever I wanted to you, since your biotics are offline."

"I could throw up in your mouth. That would probably stop you pretty quickly."  
"I don't know if I'm more annoyed by the implication that you find me unattractive, or by the fact that you're actually right."

"...You know, in hindsight I'm a little amazed that you didn't throw up in _my _mouth; I mean...well I can't gesture to the scars since you've got my arms like that, but they kinda speak for themselves."

"I've seen worse." She said dryly, pacing across the floor while keeping her eyes locked on me the whole time. "Like when your face was completely torn up while they were upgrading it...they made us watch you know."

_Finally some damn exposition._

"How much do you remember?"

I was silent, thinking the question was rhetorical, and not wanting to answer anyway.

"Look, it's just the two of us. I won't even tell the other two if you don't want to."  
I rolled my eyes. "Why exactly do you think I'm going to trust you? We started off this 'conversation' when your buddy ambushed me and tried to blow me up, then lured me into a trap so you could give me the first decent fight I've had in a while. And as you pointed out, you've got me pinned up here motionless without guns or biotics."

She was silent for a moment, then she lowered me to the ground- slowly this time, rather than just slamming me into it. Then she tossed me a remote that I caught out of the air. "There- now we're on more even ground."  
I released the anti-biotic cuffs, but didn't attack even though every survival instinct I had was screaming at me to do so.

"Don't touch your weapons though- I'm not stupid."

"If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't need a weapon." _I'd strongly prefer having it, but need is a bit more questionable.  
_ She looked like she wanted to roll her eyes, but she kept them on me, obviously not trusting me any more than I did her.

"...The first thing I remember from this world is waking up on Eden Prime, before I met Shepard. Beyond that, I remember my last moments before I was brought here, and nothing else."  
"You remember the lightning strike." She said quietly.

I kept my face controlled as I looked at her. "Yes."

"...Michael ***** was my boyfriend of several years. He died when a freak lightning bolt hit his x-box and went right into him. It overloaded every single electronic device in the house...and reduced his body to ash."  
I didn't remember the third part- or the first part obviously- but the second and fourth parts seemed to fit what I remembered.

"...It hit everyone who knew him hard...me harder than most…'Slade' and 'Isaac'-"  
"I'm guessing those are fake names?"

She glared at me for the interruption. "Obviously...the house had been sold, your parents were going to move away from the painful memories...nothing had been taken out yet- nobody wanted to really touch anything. The three of us snuck in- or broke in, really- to go and...and say goodbye to you. God, I was still in denial, even those months later...some of the melted plastic was still on the shelf, fused to it. I don't know why I reached out and touched it...all of us wish I hadn't." She shook her head.

"It...transfered you here as well?"

"It transferred all three of us, yeah. Some sort of lingering energy, I guess. After that...the ones that brought you here-"  
"Saren and Sovereign, I already know. And since I doubt you had biotics when you ended up here..."

"Yeah. In our case, our bodies somehow got brought through, instead of just the mind like with you…" She trailed off, looking at me, gaze maybe lingering on the scars. Or maybe she was just waiting for me to respond.

_I don't know anything about these three, even if...if "Michael" knew them. I can't even be sure she's telling the truth. I'm a good enough actor I could sell a lie like this, easy…But then again...why would she make up a story like this? Even if it was to kill me or something, she gave me back my biotics, and took away her own numerical advantage...which might mean she doesn't even consider me a threat enough that she needs the numbers._

_And...it sounds unlikely, but if it is true…_

"When do Hero and Iron come into this?"

"...Who and who?"

I narrowed my eyes slightly, and I saw her tensing as well.

"How long between coming in, and Eden Prime?"

"They didn't exactly give us calendars." She snapped. "You were there a lot longer before we were though- like a month in the real world was three here or something. Long enough that they'd...you don't remember any of it?"

"All I know is what I've seen in my nightmares- and the details blur once my eyes are open again."  
"...Who are you, really? If...If you're Mike, but you don't remember me at all...It'll hurt, but we can work through it…" Her biotics flared around her unconsciously. "But I swear to you- if you're really Omega in disguise...if you're lying to me...I'll kill you. Slowly, painfully-"

"Talk like that reminds me of a certain AI they implanted in my skull."  
"...What?"

I frowned. "Did you know the specifics of what they were doing to me?"

"...We were separated, eventually." It was painfully obvious that she was hiding something from me.

"Abbreviated version- at some point, they decided the body was good, but the brain was too stubborn to follow orders. Or maybe it was because they couldn't indoctrinate me, since I knew what the Reapers could really do...either way, they reached into other dimensions again for new minds to put in my body, as AI...they got two versions of Shepard I'd played through the games as."

"...You know, I get that my story's a little hard to swallow, but you don't have to insult me by making crap up." She said angrily.

There was a slight change on the edge of my vision, and I knew my eyes had just gone crimson. "I've got three different sets of biotic implants- or had, maybe. They were damaged during the battle of the Citadel, kinda got fused into one set."

"Three different amps?"

"Yeah- one blue, mine, one red- Iron Shepard's, and purple, Hero Shepard's."

Her own biotics flared around her- the blue seemed slightly...unnatural, but I couldn't tell why. "Your story doesn't add up. First you say they had to add the...the other personalities to make you willing to follow orders, but it would've had to have been...after…after"

"After what?"

"...They made us fight each other, sometimes. Didn't want us killing each other- which is pretty obvious since we're still standing here- but they still wanted us to give it our all. Of course, we still held back. _We _wanted to figure out a way to escape."

"I'm sensing my own exclusion from the we."  
"You didn't think it was possible. Said you'd lost track of the times you escaped. Said the only good that could come of it was that they'd make us stronger- figure out how they stopped us, reinforce the base, eliminate that weakness from us...and make us more effective when they decided to send us out for real...we didn't buy that. We were amazed that you did, honestly. We thought you were lying, or maybe just had lost hope."  
"...I don't remember any of that, specifically, but some of the nightmares might back up the escaping parts."

"It still doesn't explain...there was no warning, no sign. All four of us were sent in to fight each other, free for all. That was less common than one on one, but it'd happened before. What hadn't happened, was...you just hit us full force, no holding back at all. Started going for moves all of us had avoided before. Slade got close to you while your back was turned- you turned around and slashed his face with a knife. We weren't allowed weapons during those sessions- none of us knew where you'd gotten it. You threw it at Isaac's leg, and he barely dodged it, but you were going to town on Slade, just beating the hell out of him, almost to death...then you turned to us. We were both trying all we could think of to stop you, at least make you listen to reason, to not do what they wanted...you broke Isaac's back, almost split his skull open. Then...you turned to me. My biotics had usually been on par with yours; I was stronger, but you had more practice, more skill with them. This time, you were just...I couldn't match you at all. You got your hands around my neck and...I couldn't breathe. I blacked out, and when I woke up, we were in the recovery units like always...usually were were back on our feet within hours, or days. You kept us in recovery for months…" She brought her arms in close like she was hugging herself. "The next time we saw you…"

"After you'd escaped. You saw my face in all the vids." I guessed, almost certain that's what had happened.

"No...we'd seen *you* plenty. They'd...they'd bring us into a room with a one way mirror, and make us watch you. Biotics flaring red, face worse than it is now, cybernetics the only thing holding it together, smiling as you tore people apart."

"...When you went up against me in the ring what color were my biotics?"

"The same blue they'd always been. We never saw your biotics change color until after you beat us and they did all that to you…You're saying it wasn't you doing that?"

"Was I laughing maniacally too?"

"Yeah...we thought maybe they'd indoctrinated you. It was the only explanation we could think of...you were so different, and that Omega on your chest...we started thinking of you as someone else than before…" She looked at me as if silently asking me if I was.  
I put a hand on my chin, thinking it over. _Laughing, red biotics, tearing people apart while smiling...pretty much textbook Iron...but if it was him that tore into them...why were the biotics blue?...It could've been him then, but...he would've killed them while I watched helplessly, regardless of what the reapers said._

_...I could do that sort of damage now, but back then? Skillwise, maybe. But… psychologically? Could I have done that to my friends and GF?_

_(You killed Raptor two years ago, didn't you?) _The voice made me shiver- there was no sign of his 'ghost' this time. I couldn't even be certain if I'd actually heard him, or just imagined it.

"And now, here we are. You're claiming to not remember any of it, or us…we can't even be sure whose side you're on."

"Whose side I'm- If I'd been on the **fucking **Reapers' side, how the hell are we standing here having this conversation? They'd have just poured in after Saren opened the Citadel's Mass Relay. Or I could've just made sure Shepard died before she was brought back. Or, killed her once she was brought back...seriously, I'm paranoid enough that...you guys make me look overly trusting, that's all I'm going to say."

"You say you're on our side...but the Illusive Man said the same thing...and you're working with him, despite knowing everything that'll happen as a result."

"I've tried changing destiny before...and only made things worse. It's not a mistake I'm going to repeat."

"So, what, you're just going to let people die? Not even try to save them?"

"...I tried saving Kaidan on Virmire...when we got onboard...I'd had to charge to get onboard before it was too late...when we landed...one of the blades from my belt had impacted in his spine. Bad luck, a tragedy, that's what the others saw…I knew better. It was my fault-"

There was no warning before I was thrown against the wall. "You crippled him because you didn't want changes in the timeline? No changes in your master plans?"

"What? No-" She cut me off by slamming the restraint back onto my arm, and with how she did it, my right arm was bent the wrong way with a sickening snap. The sound was far worse than the pain.

"I should've known. I let myself believe for a moment that...whatever they did to you, Michael's dead."

"...Maybe he is." I said blankly. Pain tolerance or not, I was fighting off shock from the broken arm.

"Then at least I'm still here to remember him. The others don't want to think about who they used to be- that's why they took new names...I won't. I know who I am…My name is Jennifer."

"Geez, it took you long enough to say!" I managed to exclaim in exasperation.

She stopped, looking at me again. "You're so much like him, but...but you're not him…" She grabbed something from her belt and held it in front of her- it almost looked like the hilt of a lightsaber.

She pressed a button on the side, and a metal tube shot out from the middle, like a collapsible police baton. Then something shot out from the back and draped over the end before continuing down the front and into the hilt. As the ribbon of metal started to spin around the rod and into the hilt, I realized it was basically a miniature chainsaw.

She slowly walked towards me, the blade held in front of her. She stopped with the whirling edge just an inch from my face, holding it there, eyes locked on mine.

I met her gaze without flinching.

"Give me a single reason not to kill you right now."  
"I can give you several. Every person in this galaxy- their fate hinges as much on me as it does on Raptor- our fates have become too intertwined."

She glared at me, but I could tell she saw my point.

"And more than that- you don't want to kill me." I decided on a risk, since the odds of getting out were pretty low anyway. "You want to hurt me for what you think I did to you...there are things far worse than death."

"I'm not going to torture you." She snapped. "Doing it would make me no better than you. And besides, pain wouldn't affect you."

"Not my own, no. But when I was brought here, altered...my memory is like a Drell's. Every life I've taken, the light leaving their eyes...I have to live with that. See their faces when I close my eyes. I sacrificed thousands to save the council. I'm working with the people responsible for Akuze, and far worse than that...'duty is heavier than a mountain, death is lighter than a feather'." I quoted on the off chance we might've both read those books.

I saw hesitation on her face; she could see I was being sincere.

I continued, knowing it was my best chance to get out of it in one piece. "People say I'm a hero. I can't say if I am or not...I know this though. Raptor, is the hero the galaxy deserves...I'm the monster the galaxy _needs_...the friend Raptor needs too. You kill me, and-"

"Enough!" She lowered the blade to her side. "Alright- maybe you've got a point...I can't kill you...not yet."  
She brought her other hand in front of her, and with a flick of her wrist my left arm shot forward in front of my body. "But I want to leave you something to remember me by. I want to you to always remember I'm out there. I want you to remember that you're only alive because a good man was killed and you took his place." She took her free hand and forced mine into a fist. "Mike promised me that one day, he'd wear a matching ring on this finger." She pulled out the ring finger.

Then her other arm moved so fast I couldn't see what had happened. There was a wet sound of something impacting the floor, and my hand felt less heavy.

"But that'd leave your hand like Altair's...or the obvious other joke...you might actually enjoy that. And besides- what's a hand, if it doesn't have all the fingers attached?"

I'd barely processed that she'd removed a finger before her blade was whirling through the air again, at my wrist. The cybernetic gloves were tough. I wished they hadn't been as the whirling blade was only deflected instead of stopped. It cut through the radius, at the dreadshot's inner components met resistance and slid down, so my Ulna was severed closer to the elbow then the other bone.

I only understood this later. All I felt was a pinching sensation, and my arm becoming far lighter. I heard the wet sound of flesh hitting the floor, and the ringing as the metal hit as well. I saw my own bones sticking out of my arm, and sparks between them from the cybernetic components that were also damaged.

"That should do the trick." She said, collapsing the weapon with the push of a button and affixing it to her belt.

I opened my mouth to say something, but instead I lurched forward in my invisible bonds and retched. A moment later I was falling through the air, but with one arm broken and the other gone, I was unable to catch myself, and my ears rung as I hit the ground face first, landing in the pool of my own vomit.

"Don't worry about bleeding out- the blade's superheated, the wounds will be cauterized. But since I can't let them attach the arm again-" I looked up, and I saw her walking over to my severed limb. I reached towards it with the stump of my arm, in shock, barely able to process anything. She reached for it- and it seemed to just explode into a pool of blood from the way her biotics hit it. "There. Now, I'll set up a distress beacon so the Normandy can find you."

"...You...you'll…" I was barely conscious, only fighting off the tunnel in my vision through sheer will power.

"I will have revenge against you. But for now...live. And suffer."

I finally lost the battle against the shock, and everything became dark.

* * *

**(...) *...* )...(**

…What the hell is wrong with Trebor?! He wanted us to do _this _solo?!

***He's...I...Jesus H Christ he's evil!***

**(...Yeah, I literally have no response to this except nausea. Let's just go.)**

***Agreed.***


	29. At Arm's Length

"Jason?"

"Give him a moment Commander."

He groaned at Chakwas's voice, and his eyes slowly opened. "Ugh, did anyone get the number of the tank that ran over my fucking skull?"

He raised a hand to his head...Raptor tried not to look at the other one.

He slowly looked around the room."...Okay, I'm actually used to waking up to you and Chakwas hovering over me after being injured- _which is probably something I should be worried about_- but since when do I rate a five-person team to get me up?" He asked, looking between Mordin, Miranda, and Kelly.

"Circumstances...somewhat unique." Mordin said, speaking somewhat slowly by his standards. "What do you remember?"

He tried to sit up, but couldn't. Chakwas hit a button on her omni-tool, causing the bed to raise so he was more upright.

"What do you mean?" He asked, like he was half asleep...which he might've been. The amount of drugs they'd had to put into him were insane- it was possible they'd actually given him a bit too much.

"After you stormed off after meeting Chief Williams, you disappeared off the radar for about half an hour." Miranda said. "Then we got a distress call from you, and…"

"Distress call? Why would I have set a distress call?" He sounded like he was thinking aloud, eyes barely staying open.

"We didn't think it was you that set it….you weren't in a state to when we found you."

He closed his eyes.

"Jason?" Raptor prompted, wondering if he actually had fallen asleep.

"I...I think I might've repressed the memories or something." He said, frowning, eyes still closed. "It's...I can sorta make things out, but...not as clearly...could be whatever drugs I can tell you guys put in my system but...I was pissed off...at myself I think. Just wanted to be alone...kicked at the ground...hit a mine. Isaac, ambushing me. Heh, trying to at least. Coward took off running...stupid enough to follow him. Lead me to a compound, some type of energy field set up...maybe why the radar couldn't find me...couldn't go back, but knew it had to be a trap...rose on the ground, picked it up biotically, didn't trust the thorns...attacked...from behind…"

He visibly tensed, and Raptor saw his hand was clenched. "Woman- wearing armor...looked like female collector. Wasn't. Was human...armor just looked like collector...but with my colors, grey camouflage."

Miranda half opened her mouth, but Raptor gestured to her to not interrupt.

"...I...I don't know for sure what happened after. I'm trying to remember, but I can't…a name, another name, neither of them real...the woman, taking off her helmet...I can't remember her face, just the pain seeing it causes...takes something from her belt...like a chain...saw...forces my hand in front of me...takes out the ring finger...something about a ring, a promise...she…" Slowly, his face lost its look of confusion, and though he'd stopped speaking, it was obvious from the way his face shifted slowly into its expressionless mode, he was continuing it in his head...and from the way his face paled "...If I look down, am I going to see both arms attached to my body?"

"...I'm sorry Jason...you're not." Raptor said gently.

"FUCK! Just ... Fuck _everything_. Fuck that bitch, fuck the galaxy, fuck Saren, fuck that bitch _again_, and double fuck the reapers and Collectors."

There was a long silence in response, the five looking at each other, unsure exactly what to do.

His eyes slowly opened, and he slowly and with obvious reluctance moved his head to look at what was left of his left arm. "It...She cut _below _the elbow. Why is the cut above...where it was?" His voice had lost the confused edge, replacing it with tight control.

Mordin cleared his throat. "Complications. Cybernetics damaged, electrical charge enough to power biotic nodes around wound...warping effect, Necrosis set in. Couldn't save tissue, cybernetics too damaged to repair."

"And a cloned arm won't be an option, unfortunately." Miranda said, her own voice as controlled and professional as ever. "You can't flash clone something as complex as an arm, but with you we can't take our time making one."

"...Explain." He said flatly.

"It's something with your modified genetics." Raptor answered. "Your cells...they break down outside the body somehow. Tissue samples or blood samples turn to dust a little after an hour."

"...So you can't get a sample to make a clone."  
"Also, more difficult to clone biotic tissue. Eezo not naturally occurring...can mutate. Could still do it, normally, but with your cell degradation... can't correct for variances in so little time."

"So what am I looking at as far as robot arm options go?"

"...You are taking this way too calmly to be normal. I mean, even for you." Raptor said in disbelief.

"Raptor- perfect poker face, remember? Believe me, I am freaking the fuck out internally and raging at just about everything too...but I figure that expressing it externally would just make the room even gloomier. I mean, seriously, I got my arm chopped off, not my head."

"Also lost many colonists to Collectors." Mordin pointed out.

"...I'm just going to ignore that for now. Besides which- I can either dwell on the fact that that bitch lopped my arm off, or I can focus on getting a kickass robotic arm that I can tear her head off with next time."

"...You know, most people-"

"I'm not most people, and neither are you." Bourne pointed at Shepard. "You got over coming back from the dead- I'll get over this...except in my case there'll probably be more swearing, and or blowing shit up with biotics"

"...Kelly, this type of behavior isn't normal, right?"

"Well, denial _is _a common response to an injury like this…"

"I've got biotics you know- it's not like I'm worried about...okay, damnit, now I am actually thinking about shit that'll be harder to do with one arm...seriously, there is a possibility for a robot arm, right?"

Shepard had to surpass a shiver; even though she knew he was feeling a hell of a lot of things inside, the way his face and voice lacked any expression...it was like the uncanny valley.

"We're currently headed for The Citadel." Miranda said, putting her hands behind her back. "Cerberus already has people looking into options for you."

"...Elephant in the room- I'm _not _leaving this mission." The look in his eye seemed to say he dared them to try forcing him out- and that if they did they'd end up in worse shape than him.

"We kinda figured." Raptor replied.

"Just saying- I can kick more ass one handed than most people with two arms...Well, at least I can get a better parking space now." He forced a dry chuckle.

"You actually may need to relearn how to use your biotics." Miranda said flatly. "Given how many eezo nodes-"

"You're telling me that there's not some type of biotic robotic arm? I mean, if an Asari lost a limb, and they're all natural biotics…"

"...You would still have to relearn how to-"  
"Lawson, how many other biotics do you know that can teleport?"

"...Your point being?"

"That if I can figure out how to do that kinda thing with my biotics...It'll be like learning how to drive a stick shift after only using an automatic. Just adding in something new to what I already know...Wow, you guy really did pumped a lot of painmedicuticals into us, didn't we."

"Enough to kill a normal person." Chakwas said dryly. "To be honest, I have no idea if the amount was even close to right."

"Double checked calculations... also unsure." Mordin agreed.

"Maybe that's why I'm not so freaked out, even though my harm was acked off by a chitch with a srainbaw." His expression became more vacant than usual, and he slumped back in the bed as his eyes slid shut.

"...What are the odds he's going to be a lot less calm when he wakes up sober?" Raptor asked Kelly.

"Probably pretty high, but with him its hard to be sure...I suggest we leave the restraint on him, and keep someone here to keep an eye on him. Make sure he doesn't…do something he'd regret."

"What, you think we need a suicide watch?"

"Tough to say, but...I think we shouldn't risk it."

Miranda shook her head. "After how much he's done, I doubt this would be the one thing that broke him."

"Ever heard that saying 'straw that broke the camel's back?'" Raptor pointed out. "And I think losing an arm is a lot more than just a straw."

"He should have died two weeks after he met you, when that Krogan stabbed him on Therum." Chakwas commented. "Or when he took that rocket to the back. His will to survive is...I'll keep an eye on him, but-"

"No offense doctor, but even as weak as he is, I don't think you'd be able to stop him if he wanted to do something stupid." Raptor shook her head. "And I don't want to put a biotic restraint on him- he wakes up without his arm, _or _his biotics? That's going to do more damage."

"Agreed." Kelly said.

"Should keep it between three of us. " Mordin said, gesturing to himself, Miranda, and Shepard. "Involving more crew would mean telling them XO may be suicidal. Bad for moral. Can handle him if he is hostile."

"Well, I don't know if anything will come up...but with him, it's better to error on the side of caution."

"Will take first watch- both need rest."

Miranda and Shepard nodded wearily, and followed Kelly out of the medbay.

* * *

Miranda looked up from her datapad as Bourne started to stir, and after a few moments, his eyes opened and he slowly sat up. "Ugh- apparently pain meds plus genemods plus sleeping equals really fucked up nightmares."

"...Losing your arm wasn't a nightmare, I'm afraid."

"What? Oh, no, I knew that. There was this whole other thing where...For some reason, I woke up on a couch next to a blowup doll in some dude I didn't recognize's apartment, then we played Halo 4 with Kaidan Alenko...then the first dude made Tacos and we went to Noveria to kill Rachni with Atlas mechs."

She stared at him, mouth half open as she tried to think of any possible way to reply to that.

"Yeah, I know. Fucking _weird_." He shrugged. "So, what are you in here for? Making sure I don't break myself out again?"

"More or less." She said, deciding that the real reason she was there might not be the best thing to tell him.

He shrugged. "Doubt I would even if you weren't here, and I was in a state to do so."

She gave him a skeptical look. "Why's that?"

"Simple. I don't want the pitying looks or shocked expressions I'd get from damn near everyone...though I'm guessing my injury isn't common knowledge?"

She paused for a moment. "The five of us that were in here earlier know, as do Jack, and 'Archangel', since they were with us when they found you...they probably were discrete- or in Jack's case too anti-social to tell anyone- but I'm not completely sure."

"I'm betting Timmy and EDI are also in on it?"

"EDI of course is aware...I haven't written a report to The Illusive Man yet though."  
A hint of surprise colored his features. "Why's that?"

"Because he might take it as an excuse to try to get you off this ship...not that Shepard would stand for it, of course, but no point causing any more conflict than necessary."

"..._You're_ keeping a secret from your boss? Who are you and what did you do with the real Miranda Lawson? And what do I have to do to keep her there?"

"You're the one that got Jack onboard, as well as being the one that woke up 'Grunt'. Aside from risking isolating them if you were removed from play, not having you onboard would likely make Shepard at the least even less trusting of Cerberus."

"So why not just put that in the report to Timmy?"

"Well, Shepard _also _strongly implied that if I wrote a report before you or she said I could, she would...'remove my head from my body, then send both items out the airlock separately.'"

"Hah! Man, I'm going to have to use that threat at some point. That's a good one."

She rolled her eyes and went back to the datapad.

"...Ah, damnit."

She looked back up. "What?"

"I was going to do something on my omni-tool, but since that was in the now completely exploded arm, I don't have that...Argh, and all those programs from Kasumi and all of my data is gone too!"

"Once you get a new omni-tool, you can just transfer the data from the old one via the extranet. There's a backup created if an omni-tool is destroyed that lasts about 3 days."

"...Huh. Did not know that. Thanks for the info, that'll save me lots of time later."

She went back to the datapad with a shrug, and he seemed content to sit there in silence, apparently thinking on his situation.

After several minutes, the door opened, and she looked up, expecting Shepard or Mordin coming to relieve her. Instead, she looked between Bourne, the now empty bed, and Bourne.

"How did you-"

"Engineering tunnels." He shrugged, walking back to the bed and sitting down. Something floated into the air in front of him, and she almost gawked as she saw the antibiotic restraint sitting on the table next to the bed.

"...How?"

"I've got the layout of the engineering tunnels memorized. I mean, sure I can normally

teleport, but with-"

"No, I mean how did you remove the restraint, get out of here, then get back in without me noticing you were gone? Especially with the injuries you sustained?"

"...In order- I ganked the key from Chakwas earlier when I first woke up and hid it in my pocket, I'm basically programed to be stealthy...and I dunno, the genemods and cybernetics?"  
"Your right arm was bent completely the wrong way when we found you! Even with the nanites to repair the bones, the muscle should have at least been strained!"

He shrugged, and reached out to the object he was hovering in front of him- which she realized was one of Kasumi's books. "Maybe I'm just that awesome...or Kasumi snuck when you weren't looking and hacked the restraint and brought me a book, and I just walked over to the door because I'm a troll and wanted to see the look on your face. Whichever version of events you prefer to believe." He shrugged and turned the page.

* * *

"And, that should do it."

Bourne looked at his arm, and frowned slightly before the omni-tool popped up around it. He flexed his fingers, and it shifted to one of the hacking programs Kasumi had given him.

"Might have to relearn how to do it with this interface." She said, referring to the single armed omni-tool. "But it'll be a lot easier than learning from scratch at least."

He nodded, face composed as ever.

"You know, you don't have to keep up the poker face with me."

"I could say the same about you and the hood." He replied with a dry chuckle, shutting off the omni-tool.

"I'm just hiding part of my face. You're doing your best imitation of a robot."

"No I am not. I am clearly an organic being, with a soul." He said in a flat monotone. "This unit is designated Jason Bourne. Specification, Spectre."

She rolled her eyes. "Just saying...if you want to vent…"

He sat down on the couch nearby, almost collapsing into it. "Honestly- I don't know _how _I feel…I'm angry that it happened, glad it wasn't worse, glad I'm still alive and have biotics so I'm not completely one-armed...but…" He looked at the stump of his left arm, barely sticking out past the sleeve of his grey t-shirt. "Getting _dressed _was harder than it would've been yesterday. Walking I've almost fallen a few times cause my balance is off...yet weirdly, still pretty much silent. Don't get that at all; maybe it's like, instinct programed in or something?...I really don't know...I mean, I guess the possibility of a robotic arm is kinda cool, but that's like the one _slightly_ good thing from this."

"...Can I ask what happened? I mean, I was cloaked near the elevator when they brought you in...it was bad."

He was silent for a moment. Then his eyes glowed, and she saw motion in the corner of her eye.

She looked over at the bar and saw him biotically pouring a glass of something that flew into his hands. He downed it in one go and sent it back for more.

"I don't know." He finally said.

"You don't-"

"I don't mean I don't know what happened, I was just considering the wisdom of telling you; the details are kinda a dangerous secret."

"Well, now I'm just more curious than before." She said, sitting down on a stool at the bar and pouring a drink of her own.

His eyes flickered between blue, red and purple as he thought. "Well, maybe I oughta tell someone I guess, otherwise I'll just be...can you do a bug check first though? I'm pretty sure I did it right, but with the new interface I could've screwed something up."

She brought up her own omni-tool, curiosity piqued further.

He looked at his drink, as if trying to decide where to begin. "I'm going to say this first- the only reason I'm telling you this is that I trust you...enough that I don't even think I need to warn you about what'd happen if you told, because I don't think you would even if you didn't know what I'd do to you if you did tell."

"You realize you're trusting someone with a serious criminal record, right?"

"Yeah, but the whole trust thing is why I'm talking to you instead of Jack." He chuckled. "First part, I just gotta drop the giant bombshell. You know how my memory is pretty much flawless?"

"Like a Drell's, yeah, you've mentioned that a few times by now." _Like every other conversation. _

"..That's...eh, kinda a lie, because I don't remember anything before I woke up on Eden Prime a couple hours fore I met Shepard for the first time."  
"..." She looked at her drink, and downed most of it in one go.

"Yeah, that was about Kelly's reaction when I told her."

"You told her too?"

"Yeah, you know, since she's a shrink, and I've got a few issues...Let's just say I wasn't very subtle about why it was a bad idea for her to pass on the info...bigger bombshell."

"A bigger one?"

"Yeah...I was created by Saren and Sovereign."

She actually spat out her drink, and he put up a domed barrier as it flew at his face. "You- you- what?!"

"Layman's terms, my body was basically an enhanced clone, and they scanned my brain patterns in from...well, who I'm not entirely sure. But somehow, there was a fluke where it kept me from being indoctrinated...or maybe I'm not because of the memory loss...long story short, it meant I had no idea I wasn't the only one until Omega."  
"You mean Slade and Isaac were the same way?"

"...Yes and no. I think. I didn't know they existed, but they didn't know about my memory loss, so they were a bit...vague about things. But…from what I could tell, they were...the other guy's friends. When that guy was scanned into my body, his friends were scanned into Slade and Isaac's bodies- does that make any sense when said aloud or do I just sound like I'm nuts?"

"It kinda makes sense." She gestured to the glass in her hand.

"Well...On Horizon, Isaac ambushed me. Didn't do much, but I wasn't...I was pissed off and stupid enough to go after him...that's when my ex showed up."

"...Your ex?"

"Well, maybe 'the other guy's' ex is more accurate...except she didn't know I was me instead of the other guy, and...apparently the other guy…" His eye seemed to go dim. "I don't know why, but during a...training thing against them, he just beat the shit out of all three of them, no warning...I don't know why. But...I don't know. All I know is she wanted revenge on me, because apparently she thought he'd been brainwashed or something to replace him with me...she thought there was a chance I still might be him and damnit that's confusing!"

"So, she…" She gestured to his arm.

"That's the abridged version, but..." he cleared his throat. "'Alright- maybe you've got a point...I can't kill you...not yet...But I want to leave you something to remember me by. I want to you to always remember I'm out there. I want you to remember that you're only alive because a good man was killed and you took his place...he promised me that one day, he'd wear a matching ring on this finger...I will have revenge against you. But for now...live. And suffer.'"

She shivered slightly.

"Yeah, I guess that is kinda creepy when I do that."

"Earlier it sounded like you didn't remember much though?"

"...Were you hiding in the medbay?"

"...maybe."

"I _was _kinda out of it thanks to the pain meds...but I doubt I would've told them them anyway. Raptor, maybe. Eventually. If I had to. But the others...too personal."

"...So...she's…"

"All I know about her is that she's got some serious biotic power of her own, and apparently she retained the most from her...original...also, she went for tongue right away, so I don't even want to think about-"

"Wait, she kissed you?"

"Yeah...Since you know, no memory of anything before, when I met Shepard I had to improvise a name. I took it from an old movie- well, actually more the books, but they were turned into movies- about an amnesiac assassin...ex figured out why I picked it, and thought that...that I was her BF, just without the memories. Not...not the person she hates enough to be willing to lop off his arm." His eyes turned red, but the glow seemed to dim as he looked down.

"You couldn't have-"

"I sacrificed so many human lives to save the Council. I would've killed the Rachni Queen on Noveria without a second's thought if the others hadn't talked me out of it. And I'm currently onboard a ship funded by _terrorists _because the Reapers are even worse. I don't doubt I'm capable of exactly what she said I did- turned on my friends with no explanation...the only part I don't understand is the why. If there was a reason...I could at least live with it, but don't even know enough to guess. Their very existence completely changes everything I thought I knew about my...Birth, for lack of a better word."

"...Sorry, I know that was important, but did you say Rachni Queen?"

"...That's another long story."

She gestured to the bar.

"...Meh, what the hell. Already told you the big secret...and I do feel a little bit better getting it off my chest...not by much, but better."

* * *

**T117: So, let me get this straight. Just once I ask you guys to do an A/N without me, and you make it literally five lines?**

**)FUCK. YOU.(**

**(Yeah, that was kinda messed even for me...I mean, she let him live after that? What sorta pyschopath wannabe is she? She should've cut off all four limbs and then cut his head off!)**

***Personally, I think he deserves scorn just for the chapter title. But yeah, seriously.***

**)Honestly, do you know how annoying it is having to type with just one arm? Seriously, go ahead and try it.(**

**(Dude, considering how much he puts me through/has you put me through, be glad it was just your **_**arm **_**he got chopped off...also, he didn't just kill you and then leave you in hell, so you're better off there.)**

**)...I don't even want to know, do I?(**

**T117: Probably not, no...and it's a chapter early for questions, but since someone asked, Michael is my **_**middle **_**name. Didn't want to use my first one, so I went with that instead.**

**)To make you feel less awkward about writing stuff like me getting my arm lopped off?(**

**T117:...There are only so many times you can write 'SI got stabbed' before you kinda get numb to it.**

**)You're a dick.(**

**(By that logic, if he wants you to be different...no, actually, I think he left that the saaaaaaaaaaaaaargh! You know, doing shit like that just proves my point!)**

**T117: At least you can get a badass robot arm now. Or you can keep griping about it, in which case you'll be a one armed semi-badass.**

By the way, someone commented that 'She didn't want Altair jokes happening, so she cut off his hand and let me come up with Luke Skywalker jokes instead."...Luke got his _right _hand cut off, not his left.

**(NERD!) **

***Iron, your ringtone is the Imperial March. You have no room to talk.***

**(Imperial- No it's not! It's maniacal laughter!)**

***Not anymore it isn't.***

**(...How did you know the password so you could get in and change it?)**

***His password was K-I-L-L, 4544.***

**)Really? I'd have expected it to be just 1234.(**

***Do use that he'd have to actually be able to count to 4.***

**(Go to hell. Oh wait, I forgot, you actually were there too.)**

**)Huh?(**

**(Can we just wrap this up?)**

**T117: Yeah, let's. **

***Don't forget- question time next chapter if anyone wants to ask them.***

**T117: Until then, Sayonara.**


	30. Crazy is as Crazy Does

Jack sat upright completely, biotics flaring around her in anger. That was the tenth fucking time she'd heard that clanging around, and it was making it fucking hard to concentrate on the files she was reading through.

She got all the way to the top of the stairs before realizing she'd left the jacket down there since it'd made her too hot. She shrugged- she still had her 'bra' on, and Bourne had said he didn't care if she went around with just that. If someone gave her shit for it, well, unless it was him or Shepard they'd just get a glare and maybe get thrown into something.

She looked around for a moment before seeing something flying around the cargo bay below, and she heard the clanging noise yet again.

She got into the elevator and hit the button to go down, glad it wasn't slow as shit like some elevators she'd seen.

She stepped out, and something flew past her, glowing blue, and she whipped her head to the side to follow it.

"...Damnit! Still not fast enough!"

"What the fuck are you doing in here?"

Bourne glanced up at her, and smirked. "Using the crates and shuttle for parkour."

"...The fuck is that?"

"Basically, running around like a ninja with lots of jumping between stuff." He turned so he was facing her, and she glanced at his stump of an arm before looking back at his face. He obviously saw where her eyes had been, and shrugged. "Arms are kinda heavy, so losing one threw off my balance. I'm just working on getting it back...well, I was at first, but now I'm just trying to get a loop of this place done in under a minute because I'm stubborn and that 61st second is mocking me." He glared at the holographic timer on a table nearby. "Stupid crate by the shuttle- I swear that's what's doing it."

"Well maybe you should call it good enough, because that noise is really getting on my fucking nerves."

"Fucking nerves? Man, you just set yourself up for so many jokes about getting off because of me."

"Do I look like I'm _horny _from that racket?"

"Hmmm,...nah, not so much, no." He shrugged. "But since it's bothering you and you're asking _incredibly _nicely by your standards, I'll call it off...my arm's starting to get tired anyway." He flexed it a few times. "Using the Lash to swing around seemed like a better idea before my arm started to feel like it'd get yanked out of its socket."

"Lash?"

He gestured with his arm as biotics flared around it, and a long rope of energy appeared from his palm, which she recognized now, since he'd used them a few times on Horizon.

"How the hell do you do that anyway?" She asked, genuinely curious. She could make a domed shield, but that was as complex a shape as she could make.

He flexed his wrist, dispelling the lash and also causing the armored glove around his hand to shrink into a couple bands on his wrists. "Cybernetic implants- they basically focus the...shape of a stasis field into it, and then it changes based on momentum and some control from me. Based on some plans I...stumbled across and upgraded a bit."  
"Something from Cerberus?" She guessed with a snarl.

"Project Phoenix." He admitted. "Working in direct proximity to databases that can be hacked into has some advantages."  
"Like what, finding more fucked up shit Cerberus has done?"

"...You don't want to know." He said, face going to that stupid expressionless mode.

"...Probably not, no."

"Figured as much." His eyes flicked down for a moment before he looked at her face.

She waited for him to give her shit for not wearing the jacket, or else make a dumbass comment.

"Is that star thing a gang symbol or something?"

She glanced down at the tattoo on her belly. "Yeah. Second one I ever joined." She looked back up at him. "You got any ink? Heard you're an ex merc yourself."

"Closest thing I've got is a scar where from when my Omega apparently burned itself into my chest...I kinda considered getting that done in red, but I dunno how well the scar tissue would hold ink."

"Depends on the scar." She said with a shrug. "And the Tattoo artist- good one can actually make it work, but if the scar's raised it can turn out wrong."

"Eh, raised a bit from the rest of the chest, but it's pretty uniform with itself." He chuckled. "Probably skip it though- wouldn't want to look like I was copying you." He tapped his back.

"In that case, maybe grow the hair out a bit too." She snarked back.

"...Yeah, pretty sure that I actually can't." He reached up to his head. "Hasn't grown more than maybe a millimeter in two years...probably the genemods." He shrugged. "At least I had the jacket before you did, so that's you copying me instead of the other way around."

"Neither of us is even wearing our jacket."

"Yeah, I _kinda _noticed that. I'm in fact trying to keep from constantly noticing it, and kinda wishing I had my visor so it was at least less obvious if I did notice it for a long period of time...damnit, I have _got _to work on keeping my thoughts internal instead out out loud."  
She smiled evilly. "What do you mean?" She leaned back against a nearby pillar so her breasts were sticking out even further.

"...You realized I've been hanging around Lawson and her skintight catsuit for almost two years? You're not likely to get much of a reaction from me."

She reached behind her back, and smirked. "You sure about that?" She unhooked the straps in the back, but didn't let it fall.

His face was utterly unchanged, but his eyes were suddenly purple so she could tell she'd done something. "Touche Miss Nought."

"So after hanging around miss Stripper for two plus years, the thought of actually seeing some skin still gets you hot that quick?"

"...I don't think there's any good way to respond to that."

She rehooked the top and crossed her arms. "You haven't been laid in a while, have you?"

"That, I'm just plain going to ignore."

"Six months?"

"...Two years, give or take a couple weeks." He sighed, obviously seeing she wasn't going to let it go.

She laughed aloud. "Well, I guess I'm not too surprised with a face like yours."

"Yeah, yeah, I know...I actually had a Krogan hit on me in a bar at one point." He shuddered.

"Yeah right, no Krogan's standards could be _that _low."

"I'm just glad there's no pictures for proof." He seemed to have not heard her comment- or he was just ignoring it again.

"Well, at least your scars don't glow like Shepard's do. Those fuckers are really freaky."

He shrugged. "Yeah, but those can heal."  
"...Do you not know what scars are? The whole point of a scar is that they don't heal."

"Heal, repair, whatever- it's something with the cybernetic implants. I overheard her talking to Chakwas about it while I was in there- she could get rid of them, but it'd take a ton of resources so she's just not going to waste them on herself like that." He shrugged. "She's already got the freaky purple eyes anyway, so it's not like it'll make a huge difference."

"Don't _your _eyes turn purple sometimes?"

"Yeah, _sometimes_. Most of the time they're blue, and when I get pissed off they go red...really don't know what makes them go purple." He frowned, and they went to that color.

"Hell if I know."

He shrugged. "Guess it's kinda petty to complain about changing eye color though…Could've been a lot worse." His eyes almost seemed to glow less, though they were still purple.

"What, you mean that crap about you being raised in a lab?"

His head whipped up towards her, eyes flashing blood red. "I've lied about a lot of things Jack, to a lot of people. I was telling _you _the truth about that."

"And the thing with the AI in your head?"  
His biotics flared around him, completely red. "You're lucky I already did a bugcheck of this entire room, because if Cerberus gets wind of that because of you-"

"What, you'll make me feel pity for you with your one arm?" She flared her own biotics, though she doubted he'd actually be dumb enough to try fighting _her. _

He smiled smugly. "Jack, there is no doubt in my mind that you could smash me into a bloody pulp with a single biotic attack." He powered down his biotics, and after a moment she did the same. "But then again, I could stop your heart with a snap of my fingers, or put a singularity in your brain and turn it into a smoothy. Or just blow your head off at a distance...Cerberus turned you into the ultimate Human biotic. The guys that made me, created the ultimate human weapon. Even if you did kill me-" His eyes smoldered like crimson embers. "I'd take you with me."

They stared each other in the eye, neither one backing down.

His eyes suddenly went back to blue. "So, you hungry? I was planning on going to the mess hall for a bite, and figured I'd offer you the express way so you don't have to deal with the elevator."

She blinked in surprise. "Did you just go from threatening me to offering me a lift with the teleporting?"

"Pretty much." He shrugged.

"...Eh, what the hell...let me grab the stupid jacket first though. Kinda starting to get cold without it."

"Yeah, I dunno for sure, but I wouldn't put it past Raptor to have told EDI to lower the temperature if you go around without the jacket."

"...You think she really did that?"

"Jack, I have many, many talents. Figuring out what she or any other woman is thinking, is not one of those talents and likely will never be one of those talents."

* * *

"So there's five of them, right? And I can tell by their armor they're blue suns. I'm on the ground by this point, and I just got kicked in the head, ears are ringing, the batarian has my own fucking gun aimed at my head- totally has me dead to rights, you know? So I ask him how he's going to shoot me with the safety still on, and the dumbass actually falls for it!"

Jack laughed. "Seriously?"

"Yeah, he goes to look, and I stab him in the knee- with his own knife mind you- so he drops the gun and I use it to take down the Krogan with a couple shots to the head. Then slam the other three into the ground biotically, kick the batarian in the knee to push the knife in deeper, and tell him if he's not out of there in the next ten seconds, I'll shoot his balls off."

She shook her head, fighting a smirk. "Your storytelling skills need a little work, but not bad."

He shrugged and took a bite of the food.

"By the way- what's up with the tiny portions?"

"Hmm?"

She gestured to his plate, then at hers.

"Oh, yeah. Gene mods mean I can eat less than a normal biotic and still get results- still have to pack on the calories every once in a while, but better than no change." He flicked his finger and his glass flew into the air in front of his face. He slowly maneuvered it so he could drink from it, then set it back down.

"Showoff." She muttered.

He pointedly looked at his missing arm, then at her. "I dunno if compensating for a handicap counts as showing off...having the glass spin around in the air like this is me showing off." He chuckled.

"Want me to show off and rip out a bulkhead?"

He laughed, but there was a hint of mockery to the laughter.

She glared at him. "What, you saying you don't think I can do it?"

"I'm just not that impressed by something so...blunt. Don't get me wrong, it's not exactly commonplace, but…" His stump wiggled like he was trying to gesture with that arm. "Well, _anyone _with that sorta power could do that. Not that there's many, but point is it doesn't much...talent. What's more impressive to me is...something that takes more precision and skill, like modding your own ammo with that biotic coating."

"What, you think that's more impressive than ripping a ship in half?" She said in disbelief. "Or taking down three mechs at once?"

"Well, the mech thing is more impressive since they can fight back a bit." He shrugged. "I dunno, guess it's kinda a subjective thing...Or it's like, you're the stronger biotic but I consider myself better, or something. Dunno how to really put it into words."

"You think you're a better biotic than me?"

"Like I said, kinda a subjunctive thing, but honestly...yeah, I do. You can tear apart a ship, I can use energy from my barrier to create a small wormhole and teleport from one floor of a ship to another by doing a backflip...You've got more raw power, and you've got me at a disadvantage with the ammo modding, but about everything else the edge is kinda in my field, talent wise." He shrugged. "Still doesn't mean I'd necessarily be eager to fight you, but I will admit I'm curious about who'd win that match."

Jack wanted to say she'd beat him easy. But she had to admit, she wasn't quite sure either. "So there any biotic moves you don't know how to do?"

He thought for a moment. "Never tried that Warp Ammo thing, like I said. Other than that...there's a few tricks I've heard that Volus or Asari use that I never figured out, but I think I've got most everything else...there's this one I've heard called Reave which is basically an upgraded version of Warp, but I already can do that and Dark Channel so I don't see the point of learning it."

"Haven't seen you use Shockwave."

"Well...I can't do quite the same exact thing you can, but I can use the lash for something that's pretty much the same concept." He shrugged. "I never really thought Shockwave was that great anyway to be honest."

"What's not good about sending people flying and blowing up whatever other biotics are there?"

"The range is limited."

"So you get closer. I mean, it's not like you can't with that...charging thing." _I wonder if I could get him to teach me some of those things? He'd probably want something back though. _  
"Yeah, but that I can use from far away, and most of the time it's going to one-hit-kill anything I aim for. And in the cases where it won't kill something that quickly and I want to blow it up, warp can detonate things just as well." He shrugged and patted one of his pockets. "Or I can just shoot it with this little number...or any of the other myriad of guns I carry with me."

"You trying to compensate for something?"

"Never heard that one before." He said sarcastically, giving her a flat look of annoyance.

"Must not get out much then."

He opened his mouth to object, then reconsidered. "Huh. You are not wrong. I just realized it's been over a year since I went to a bar."

"Too bad there's not any of the good stuff onboard- been a while since I got to drink someone under a table."

He smirked as as his eyes went purple. "That so?"

"I've drunk Krogan under the table before- it's always fun, especially if its competitive drinking so you can get some creds out of it."

He glanced up at the ceiling. "EDI, any idea if Kasumi's awake?"

"You both disabled all of my monitoring in her room...but I detected her briefly on the CIC a few minutes ago before she disabled _those _devices, so it is likely her room is vacant."

He stood up and disappeared in a blur of blue. By the time Jack looked at where he'd gone, he was already back with several bottles held between his arm and his chest. "I'm sure she won't mind if we take a few of these then...and even if she does, she's a thief for a living so it's not like she can really complain…and if she does I can say it was your idea."

"You think you can outdrink me?" Jack asked as he slid a bottle across the table.

"I'm bored, you suggested an idea to relieve the boredom...or, if your challenge is open ended, we can wait till we get to the Citadel tomorrow."

She cracked open her bottle in answer. "Bring it on- if you think you're man enough."

"Oh, I will bring it...except, er...can you uh, give me a hand opening this thing?"

"Was the pun intentional?" She asked, popping the top off and giving it back.

"...not really, I realized right before I said it, but decided to just go with it."

"Well, how about we make this interesting?"

"...Go on." He said, eyes purple again.

"Loser has to…" She thought for a moment.

"How about if I lose, I have to get a tattoo on my back of...I dunno, a zero?"

Biotics flared around her hand.

"...Sorry, wasn't thinking on that one."

"Loser has to get the winner's _name _tattooed on...well on you it would be your back. If I somehow lost, there's not a lot of room...guess it could get squeezed in on the bottom of my foot or something."

He considered it a moment before nodding and chuckling. "Alright, you're on."

* * *

I caught Jack with my biotics as she finally passed out, several empty bottles getting knocked off the table by her limp arm.

"You know, I think using the genemods counts as cheating." Kasumi said, uncloaking as she sat down in the now vacant chair and opened the last bottle.

"I prefer to think of it as strategy." I chuckled.

"Okay, so what's your strategy for when she wakes up with a hangover and tears your head off?"  
"She's got a supercharged amp, so she can't get hangovers." I said, standing up, lifting Jack into the air with me. "Also, you ever try use biotics with a hangover? She couldn't tear apart wet tissue paper in that state."

"So what are you going to do when she refuses to get your name tattooed on?"

I stopped and looked back at her. "Just how long where you-"

"Hah- I finally managed to sneak up on you!"

"Hey, I was paying more attention to the crazy person in front of me then watching for a kleptomaniac...and come on, you really think I'd hold her to that? She thought she had a sure thing; I _knew _I had one...seriously, I'm not even buzzed, and I drank more than she did! If there's a god, he's an asshole; puts me through this much shit and then doesn't even let me get drunk to get away from it. Seriously, I just had to deal with the fact I basically threw away a relationship by doing all this, and that was _before _I got my arm lopped off... now I made myself sad...and all depressed feeling."

I glanced at Jack, and just brought her to me, and teleported so I appeared in her little hidey hole, setting her on her cot. After a moment, I carefully shifted her to the recovery position, just in case, and teleported back up.

"Almost be worth a hangover to be able to forget for five minutes." I muttered as I sat down at the table again. Kasumi seemed to already be gone though.

I leaned my one elbow on the table, putting my head in my hand. Between the arm, Jennifer's revelations, and trying not to let on how I was really feeling, I hadn't had much time left over to think of Ashley.

_(Yeah, face it pal, you royally screwed that one up.) _Iron appeared in the seat across from me.

_)Oh fuck off.( _ I kept my head in my hand, not wanting to look at him on top of everything else.

_(Well, apparently it's not the first time you screwed up with a chick either, but I guess you're consistent at least)  
_ _)...You know, I wish I had my other arm back for just ten seconds, cause flipping you off with one hand just ain't going to cut it.(_

_(That, plus since Big Sister is watching you...well, you drunk enough to pickle a krogan, so she'd probably attribute it to that instead of you seeing things.)_

I teleported to the CIC, and then to my cabin.

He was waiting for me on the couch, kicking back like he was relaxing. _(At least your reasons were better than mine- I just wanted to bang Miranda.)_

_)Weren't you the one that specifically said something about how getting Ash back was optional cause I had other options?(_

_(Look- you left her cause of Ceberus, stopping the reapers, all that bullshit. You were willing to kill Raptor cause you couldn't risk throwing off the timeline and you knew she'd be back. Not to mention sacrificing human lives to save the council)_

_)And? Are you making a point or just reminding me again how much I suck?(_

He moved so there was more room on the couch, and Hero appeared next to him. _*You had reasons for both of those things. Do you really think you'd have appeared to turn on them without some reason?*_

_)..._Appeared _to turn on them?(_

_(Yeah, you didn't tell them- maybe that was to sell it.)_

_)What, like I'd have tried to take down Saren or something?(_

_(Yeah, then you could've been implanted with me afterwards. )_

_)...Or I knew they were going to implant one of us, and took them down so I'd appear the strongest, or the best candidate, and hope they spared the others...I've had dumber ideas...just boneheaded enough that I could've done it...maybe(  
_ They exchanged a look, then looked back at me. _*It is still kind of a long shot.*_

_)Better to have _some _hope than none.(_

_(See? You were that eager to get rid of us, yet we just totally helped you get over it.)_

_)...Yeah, except the fact that I'm hallucinating about you two means I've gone even more nuts.(_

_(Hah! After all you've been through you expect to still be sane?)_

_*...He kinda has a point.*_

_)...Yeah, I hate it when he does that.(_

He shrugged, and a moment later both vanished.

_Seeing ghosts...yeah, I'm crazy. But then again, my best friend is a zombie, my other best friend is a kleptomaniac, my 'boss' is secretly indoctrinated, my bosses on the council are complete dumbasses, my _former _best friends want me dead and my previous ex evidently enjoys lopping off arms._

_...Does that make me less crazy by comparison, or does the fact that I know all these people make make me more crazy?_

I went over to my bed, laying there in silence for maybe an hour, trying to go over everything I knew about the trio.

_Isaac...I think he might've been the youngest of the four of us. Seems like it anyway...not great in a straight up fight, seems like he prefers ambushes...kinda tried to do that on Omega, actually. Just failed since I took down the mooks...did they just hire people? They must've- if they were in the same program as us, they'd have been tougher. And he barely even cared when I took them down._

_Flashbacks of him...But too errant, too random, nothing usable._

..._Slade seems to prefer getting close- letting his armor and protective layers do the work for him and hitting with the gauntlets. More self control than Isaac, for sure, maybe more than Jenn?...seems like he's more of a combat pragmatist than a straight up ambusher. Did kinda an ambush thing on Omega, but still was willing to fight me until I forced him to run. Didn't run as easily as Slade either. Either he's more skilled, or just tougher...biotics don't seem like his main style though…wonder why Isaac is the only one without them?_

_Jennifer's biotics were definitely...she said she was more powerful than me before, but less skilled. Now the skill seems about equal, or maybe slightly slanted my way, but despite my own abilities being stronger than they used to be, she still had the edge...either she's more powerful too, was always this much more powerful, or I was always this powerful and just was holding back before...or we've both grown more powerful...could be something to do with Iron and Hero being gone; after all, if I'm able to use their eezo nodes/biotics/whatever now, than that could mean I'm...thrice...as...powerful..._

I suddenly bolted upright. _Wait a minute!  
_ Hero appeared again, looking concerned. _*What?*_

_)Back on Omega, Slade specifically mentioned me having 1/3rd the power. On Korlus, they said something about 'the other two' being dead. Hell, he actually called me 'Iron' mockingly! But Jennifer had no idea about the two of you!(_

Her eyes widened. _*You're right!*_

_(So...does that mean the bitch has memory loss too?) _Iron asked, sitting next to me on the bed. I instinctively shoved him off, surprised when his ghostly form was actually affected.

_)It means either she was lying about not knowing about you two...or Slade and Isaac lied to her...but why?(_

_*...I don't know.*_

_(I have a theory, but it involves lots of unicorns, scientology, and vampires.) _Iron said as he got back up and walked over to the couch.

_)The sparkly kind or the real kind?( _I asked sarcastically.

_(Both types...and also the Count from Sesame Street...and also that chick from the Hunger Games.)_

_)...Maybe Kelly can prescribe me something to make you idiots stop showing up.( _I thought as I collapsed on the bed, deciding to figure it out in the morning.

* * *

**T117: So, pretty much no questions.**

**(What do you mean, there's one right here about...oh, wait, that's...well what about...no, same problem. Why do people think you'll answer questions that're basically synonyms for "tell me what happens and spoil the everloving F*** out of the story?)**

***Yeah, tried talking Bourne into coming, but he's still pissed at you and refuses until he has the robotic arm...also, synonym means one word for one word, not one description for one description.***

**(Shut up, it still got the point across.)**

What point are you referring to? The point that your intellegence is approximately that of an amoeba?  
***That's a horrible thing to say about Amoeba.***

**(Hey, which one of us slept with a giant lizard? Cause it wasn't me.)**

***No, you slept with...damnit, he slept with pretty much the hottest chick in the games.***

Does pity sex count for something like this?

**(It most certainly does!...I think...Also, mine could **_**live **_**through the end of the trilogy.)**

***...Hey, Bourne didn't happen to leave any of his knives here, did he?***

**(You're just pissed cause I'm right.)**

Hero, put down the keyboard. We are already over budget for replacing those.

***...Fine. But I am going to beat him with my bare hands later.***

Just realize that if your knuckles bust open we will not cover your hospital bill.

**(Also, again, you're just pissed I'm right.)**

We also will not cover Iron's hospital bills if he is stupid enough to continue to antagonize you.

**(...I'll shut up now.)**

***Yeah, let's wrap this up.***

**T117: Hang on, there was one sorta thing I want to address. BOURNE DID NOT KISS ISAAC! What was meant by Slade's statement was that a random drunk guy- ****Not ****Bourne/Michael- walked up to Isaac and planted one on him. Bourne was not even involved- hell, he wasn't even there, he just heard about it later and laughed at Isaac.**

**(Yeah, I'm pretty sure the damage has already been done between that and that stupid farmcow's shipping.)  
T117: Ugh, don't remind me. **

***Can I point out that your other main character is Bi if not-***

**T117: Raptor isn't based directly on **_**me**_**. And that's canon, not just a bunch of ********* that some ************ made up and ********* thinking that ********* makes any ************* sense! *********!...Sayonara.**


	31. Time to Arm Up

"...Wow."

"Yeah, that about sums it up." I agreed with a sigh. I'd decided I needed (and I realized, actually _wanted_) to tell Raptor about Jennifer- and what I'd realized about Slade and Isaac lying to her.

The only things I hadn't told her were the obvious- that I was from the real world, and that I'd been hallucinating Iron and Hero's ghosts.

She looked blankly around the cabin."...I really don't know what to say."

"Well, 'I pulled some strings and got you promoted to Captain Bourne' would be nice"

She looked like she was trying not to smile, and not quite succeeding. "So what's the plan?"

"For now...there's nothing I...nothing we can do...Just because my past came back to haunt me doesn't mean the Collectors are just going to give up...and from what she said-"

"Please don't do that creepy imitation thing again."

"Fine...But she sounded like she's going to wait till...I don't know. But I have to shelve it for now so we can deal with the bigger threat."

"About that, you get a chance to read over the new dossiers?"

"I read two of them- third was Tali's so I didn't bother to read past the name."

"But you saw where she is right now?"

"...Yeah?" I gestured with my remaining hand for her to go on.

"...The plan is to get you a prosthetic here on the Citadel," we'd docked during the night, "And then we move on, right?"

"Right...though if...I might need some time to adjust to the arm; could be dangerous to have me on a mission right off the back."

"I agree, but that isn't where I was going with that...I...it's selfish-"

"Samara and Thane are on Ilium, which is where Liara is, so you want to go there first." I both guessed and stated.

"...Yes." She looked away. "I...It's...if we don't get Tali first, and something else came up, and we were too late...but at the same time…"

"You don't want what happened to me and Ash to happen to you and Liara." I said gently.

"...No."

…_Is it too soon to make a joke about Jennifer?...Can you actually 'too soon' yourself? _I scratched the back of my neck, trying to think of what to say.

"...I loved her." She said quietly. "I still do. If…if she moved on, or-"

"I'm not saying it'll be easy...but if anyone's stubborn enough to make it work, it's you...plus, you having biotics means you can bring all sorts of new fun to the bedroom."

She glared at me, and biotics actually flared around her clenched fist.

"...Just trying to lighten the mood a little."

She looked like she was going to snap at me, but then decided against it. "...I don't want to risk Tali, but at the same time…"

I sighed after a moment's thought. "I hate to say it- but she's in the riskier spot. Liara will still be there, and we can afford to pass up another biotic or another sniper if they move on before we get there."

"Yeah...doesn't mean I have to like it though." We were both silent a moment, as if contemplating our bad luck with relationships.

"...Would it be wrong of me to freak her out somehow with the robotic arm? Like pretend I'm really a robot and my skin wore off, or else just like have it fall off suddenly while I'm talking to her?"

"...I can't decide."

"So, any plans for while we're here?"

"This is meant to be a quick trip- as long as it takes to get your arm sorted out."

"Figured, but thought I'd ask...Wonder what Hephaestus could do with a cyborg arm?...yeah, we can make time for that."

* * *

"...This is a goddamn woman's arm." I said in mixed contempt and disbelief. "And Raptor, I shit you not if you make that crack about Asari not being woman right now, I will sneak into your room at night and shave your head, including the eyebrows."

Miranda crossed her arms.

"And if _you _say something about appearance not mattering, I'll shave _half _of your head and dye the other half puke-orange." I threw my arm up in disbelief. "I mean, seriously, I get the whole 'having biotics makes it tougher to make a prosthetic' thing, but couldn't it at least look less...feminine?...oh geez, it even has fingernails! Robot arms do not need fingernails!...unless they turn into metal claws to slash at people with. That, actually would be cool...or if the fingernails were small blades that fired out or something. Or climbing claws. Or some combination of climbing claws and shredding people apart claws."

"...Now I think I know how he feels when I talk about sniper rifles." Raptor commented to Miranda.

"You should have seen him when he got a new supply of knives."

I looked at the arm, then lifted it into the air with my biotics, and flipped them off with it.

Raptor gave me a look that obviously meant "really?"

I looked at it again. "Lawson, you got blueprints for this thing?"

Miranda brought up her omni-tool and set me the file. It took a few tries to get it open with the new one-armed system, but I brought it up and took a look at it. "...Yeah, the outer part is almost purely aesthetic, so I could probably play around with that a bit...and it looks like there's some hollow bits that...yeah, that'd be…hmm...eezo core for biotic stuff, could probably replace that with a dreadshot, or modify it into one...armored plating on the outside maybe, so I didn't have to worry about fitting armor over this thing, then I'd just have to modify my armor a bit to hook up with it….ooh, and I could do some sorta blade gauntlet thing there- that'd be badass."  
"You do realize we can hear you, right? And that we're just going to take that a yes you'll take it?"

"...Do you think a flamethrower in the wrist would be overkill? No, no, a grenade launcher! No, even better, take a scorpion fabricator and set it so I can launch grenades from the palm!"

Miranda just sighed while Raptor facepalmed.

"Yeah, you're right, knives are a better idea."

"Where are you going to fit the boombox?" Raptor said sarcastically.

"Hmm, might be room in the elbow…Come on, Raptor, you gotta go with style points for something like this."

"...Style points?"

"Yeah just smack me really really hard if I ever say that again...ah, damnit, I can't fit a grenade launcher in there- I need the room for the lash tech."

"Maybe you should have someone with some actual expertise handle this?" Miranda suggested.

"You do realize I pretty much have an advanced degree in eezo science and biotic theory, right? And I ain't exactly a slouch when it comes to weapons tech either."

"What about with cybernetics? Upgrading your gauntlets isn't the same as integrating a limb into existing tissue and muscle."

After a moment's thought I conceded the point with a reluctant nod."...You offering to help me?"

"I do have experience." She motioned towards Raptor.

"Yeah, and how do I know you won't sneak in a listening device or an override or a bomb or something?"

"..."

"You are going to need help Jason. Mordin and Chakwas probably. How about they...install it? Is that the word? They install it and then you can modify it from there?"  
"...Can I at least take off the stupid molded fingernails first?"

She gave me _that _look.

"Alright, fine, let's get this over with...Man, I just _know _this is going to be painful."

"We could probably knock you out again."

"Nah, I'd rather stay awake, maybe ask questions...and they might need me awake anyway to test stuff." He shrugged. "Doubt it can hurt worse than getting the damn thing cut off to begin with."

"I'll tell them to prep for surgery." Miranda said, sounding slightly miffed at me as she walked out of the medbay.

"...At least the nails aren't pink."

"Don't patronize me." I rolled my eyes. "Just saying, if this is a fully integrated 24-hour thing, I want it to be...I dunno. Something that can actually feel like it's part of me, and not just...not just a thing attached to me."  
"I know what you mean, actually." She pointed at her eyes. "Took me a while to get used to these when I first got them, but...I'm glad Cerberus kept them the same color."

"Yeah, so am I...means I'm not the only one here with freaky glowing eyes."

"Didn't you say something about your 'cool glowing eyes' being blue?"

"Yeah, when they're blue they're cool...now they started changing colors though, and it's just kinda weird. I mean, I might actually like the 'red eyes=take warning' thing, if not for the obvious reason...but I don't pull off purple as well as you."

"Better hope they don't get stuck like that then." She chuckled.

"Eh, even if they did-"

"It'd still be less weird looking than Timmy's eyes?"

I grinned. "Exactly."

* * *

"Damnit!" Raptor swore again as the crate flew the complete wrong direction. _How do Bourne and Jack make this look so damn easy? Even Miranda does that...Slam thing._

She glared at it, trying to move it back to where it had been; her record on getting it to work was about 50-50, and this time it looked like she'd have to move it the old fashioned way. She growled obscenities under her breath as she did so.

"At least you're still a decent shot." Garrus commented from his end of the range.

She was more than half tempted to throw the crate at him. The only reason she didn't was that she didn't want to embarrass herself if she missed. Or make his face worse if she didn't miss.

"Bourne definitely makes it look easier than it is." She finally said, stepping back from it so she could try throwing it again. She drew her hand back and punched forward- the crate went flying against the far wall this time, and actually bounced back nearly to where it had started, skidding across the floor to her feet. "Now why can't I do that every time?"

"You couldn't have gotten to be a sharpshooter without some practice- and he's had a long time to work on his biotics." He shrugged. "Honestly, I doubt you'll ever need them. Only seen you miss twice."

"I told you- I was _aiming _for that guy behind him,he just moved away from the target so it _looked _like I missed." She went to throw the crate again, but this time it did nothing. She tried again, glaring at it, and instead half of it disintegrated. "Argh!"

"You really don't like that crate, do you."

"If you're volunteering to step in and give it a break, be my guest."

"Heh, I'll pass, thanks." He raised his gun to his eye, and shot through two targets at once as they moved in front of each other. "So, I hear we're recruiting Tali next?"

"That's the plan."

"Good...it's been too long since I saw her...do you think she's the type of woman that'd go for scars?"

She shook her head. "Well, seems she's had a thing for alien men for a while, seeing as how Fleet and Flotilla is one of her favorite movies."

"Maybe...You think Mordin might have some advice on how to…"

"Geez Garrus, you gotta at least buy her dinner first." She teased.

"We did have one last get-together before I left the Normandy to go back to C-sec."

"Get-together, or date?"

"...I haven't had a lot of practice at this." He said sheepishly.

"Well, I imagine if we take you along and we need to pull her out of the fire, that'll help your odds with her a bit...Goddamnit!" She ducked as the crate somehow went flying straight at her face. "Argh! Why couldn't they have given me an instruction manuel for these things?"

"Maybe they were hoping you wouldn't shut off the security cameras, and they'd sell the footage as a comedy vid."

"...That actually would be kinda funny." Shepard admitted, setting the crate to the side, deciding she'd had enough for one day. She pulled out her sniper rifle, then looked at it critically. "You know, this Mantis isn't bad, but I kinda wish I had my old SPECTRE weapon."

"Bourne could probably get a replacement for you, with how many contacts he has now...said something about getting me some new armor too while we're here."

"You do have a giant hole right next to your neck."

"Yeah, all the same I'm going to check the armor to make sure it works."

"I'd be more worried about him getting you pink armor or something." She chuckled as she started firing at the targets as they appeared.

"Yeah, that'd be better suited to him, since he seems to _like _being shot at."

"What, you don't?" She joked.

"Being hit with a rocket to the face kinda killed my liking for it."

"Is that what happened? I just thought you forgot your makeup on that side."

"You don't have a lot of room to talk." He said, tapping where her own scars were. They constantly itched, but she'd gotten used to it, and it felt like it might've been going down slightly.

"I got brought back from the dead- I think a few scars are kinda required."

Garrus opened his mouth to respond, but stopped as both heard yelling from the cargo bay nearby.

"Ten credits says it's Bourne's fault."

"You really think I'm going to bet against that?" Garrus responded as they headed towards the sound.

Raptor stopped so suddenly Garrus ran into her back, but she didn't even notice that. "JASON BOURNE WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"  
He smirked at her even as he ducked under one of Grunt's punches. "Sparring with the new guy."

"...If he stops moving long enough for me to get a shot at him, I may just put a bullet in his foot." She muttered.

"I heard that!" He called as he actually vaulted over the Krogan's head, rolling over him and hitting him in the back with his new arm.

"...Is this the stupidest thing he's ever done?"

"Yeah, I think so...well, stupidest that I know of." Garrus responded, as both moved into the crowd watching, though there was significantly less yelling now.

She saw Mordin and Chakwas standing nearby and headed for them. "For the record Commander, I was opposed to this." The latter said as she got within earshot.

"Bourne's logic sound. Need to stress test arm, gain familiarity with it...method not the best, but seems to be working well."  
She just groaned as Bourne hit Grunt in the face full force with the new arm, and sent the Krogan reeling before he lunged forward and struck Bourne in the face with his brow plate.

Both were sent stumbling away from each other.

"Please tell me you have spare arms for when he inevitably destroys that thing?"

"Miranda has half dozen more in cargo bay- said she's considering ordering more...Bourne asked me to look into upgrades for arm, modify spare. May ask others too, or may work on it himself."

"Yeah, definitely can think of some mods I'd want to put in myself." Bourne said as he kicked Grunt's leg out from under him and punched him in the face to take away his balance. "Also needs some heavier armor- this stuff is already scratched to shit- maybe upgrade the grip strength and oh my god how are the fucking nails not even _touched _on this thing?" He stopped to look at them, and Grunt took advantage of his distraction to just pick him up and throw him against a nearby crate.

Bourne responded by blasting the krogan back into another crate biotically pretty much on reflex."...Wanna call it a draw?" He said blankly, looking at the ceiling from his back.

The young Krogan grunted agreement, rubbing the back of his hump.

"Hah!" Raptor looked over to see Kasumi grinning. "Pay up fellas."

"Let me guess, you were betting on this?" Raptor guessed.

"Yeah- everyone else either bet on Jason or Grunt; I'm the only one who bet on a draw."

"Yeah, now remember our deal." Bourne chuckled as he got back to his feet. "I get half the profits in return for-"

"Nobody here would believe you'd take a fall." Raptor shook her head. "You're way too...you, for something like that."

"Am I?" He smirked at her before teleporting away. There was a moment of silence before everyone turned to look at Kasumi- or rather, where she'd just been a moment before.

"I wonder if I can learn how to do Stasis and shut him up every once in a while." Raptor muttered as she headed back towards the range.

"He'd just warp out of it anyway." Garrus commented, following her back. "Or who knows, maybe he could teleport out of it now."

"Maybe...be worth it for the look on his face before he did...well, if he didn't have his stupid pokerface I mean."  
"Dang, just what have you been doing with this crate?" Bourne called as they walked in. "Dented all over the place- shouldn't happen unless you hit-"  
It flew at him and he barely managed to charge to the side.

"...I gotta ask if that was actually intentional or not."

"Mostly- didn't mean to aim at your face, I was aiming for your gut." Raptor said, throwing it against the far wall. It ricocheted towards him but barely missed, flying right past his ear.

He stopped it an inch from her own face. "So you're making some progress then?"

"Yeah, but still having trouble with aim...and I haven't figured out anything other than Throw or Pull."

"Those _are _the basics though." He shrugged, bringing the crate over to him and sitting down on it. "Once you get those down, hopefully we can figure out how to teach you warp. Using that for combos is one of the simplest but most effective biotic tricks. That, or maybe teach you how to put up a biotic barrier...singularity might be a bit beyond you, no offense."

"Warp probably would be easier to learn...actually did it on accident earlier, now I just need to figure out how to do it again on command."

He considered that a moment. "Hmm, yeah, you're probably right...you ask Jack or Miranda about it at all? Or Jacob?"

"Jacob?"

"He's far from the best biotic, but he knows how to put up a surprisingly strong barrier. Miranda of course knows warp, and Jack is...well, I've never seen her actually use warp, but I'd surprised if she couldn't." His right arm went over to his left, apparently scratching at it. "And...for a couple reasons, I don't know if we can actually get Liara to join us on the Normandy, but if we could she might be able to give you a couple pointers and bloody hell this thing _itches_!" He pulled up the sleeve of his shirt, allowing her to see where the arm connected.

The metal actually went up to his shoulder, almost like a giant chainmail sleeve. It had a more solid collar at the base of the stump, where the arm itself was connected.

"Yeah, join the club." Garrus muttered, scratching at his cybernetically replaced mandible.

"I'm going to head for Hephaestus's place." Bourne said, apparently ignoring Garrus. "See if he can do anything...if nothing else his place is better set up to modify something like this."

* * *

As the sky car landed near the shop, I flexed the robotic arm a few times, also stretching the muscles in the upper arm that were powering it.

I hadn't really understood how it was hooked up- especially since I'd ended up having to look away. I had a high pain tolerance, but watching them hack up my arm and connect servos to what was left was a bit much for me. Mordin had actually injected some sort of steroid into the muscles around the arm to strengthen them, but they warned me it'd take a long time to adjust to the new arm.

It was...odd, using it. It had become intuitive after a while- especially with the enhanced memory to help recall how to do things- but moving it was completely different than how I would have moved my organic arm, using completely different muscles. Some of it was handled with electrical signals from my brain, and the cybernetics they'd put into my shoulder and the arm itself, but I still wasn't at a hundred percent. _Guess I got downgraded from ambidextrous to right handed._

_And I'm not even going to try using my biotics with that hand in an actual fight unless I have to...need a lot more practice with it first. _The way the prothestic worked, there was eezo in the middle, and electrical components to send a charge through it to activate it, triggered by the nerves left in the remaining arm. Much less precise than my normal organic arm, but also potentially way more powerful.

_Potentially being half the reason I'm headed for a guy who actually knows what the hell he's doing._

As I walked towards the shop, I expected some odd looks or maybe staring, but apparently nobody could tell the arm was a fake since I was wearing my jacket over it. It looked like I was wearing a glove, at the most.

The VI greeted me. "Greetings Lt. Bourne. Hephastus is currently occupied with another project, and-"

"Priority override one-zero-nine-two-zero-zero-seven, verification 'the cake is a lie.' I don't have time to wait."

"Override accepted." The elevator doors unlocked.

The lab was deserted, but the lights were still on. None of the shelves looked out of place, and I didn't see any obviously empty spots where weapons had been taken.

I walked out of the elevator towards the weapons bench; the gun was only partially assembled, and his tools were out. _So he must've been working on something down here, but he must've been called up by a normal customer, or gone home or...something._

"Hephastus? You around?" I said, still looking around..._Huh, there's the Blood Dragon Armor I ganked from Cerberus...maybe I'll take the plating from that and use it for the arm...and there's an older dreadshot model...could probably upgrade it to where the other one was, and incorporate that into the arm if I put a barrier generator in there, and switched from normal shields...and I bet I could stick a hidden blade in there too...hehehe, there are so many options here._

I brought up my right hand, and biotically brought the Blood Dragon armor from where I'd seen it on the shelf and set it at an unoccupied bench. _Now, how the heck do I do this one-handed, even with biotics...meh, that's why I have spares back in the skycar...maybe I should grab those before I start...and/or give Hephastus a call so he doesn't think he was robbed, and maybe see if I can get him over here to give me some help so I don't blow myself to hell and back._

* * *

**)Fine. I will be present for this, but I want it to be known that I still am incredibly pissed with you for at the very least the title of this chapter.(**

**T117: Don't worry, it's the last one.**

**)Hmph, it better be.(**

**T117: And...Screw it, I don't have time for a long A/N cause I got a crapton of studying to do. Sayonara.**


	32. Robot Arm vs Flashlight Heads

"I still think the other arm suited you better." Raptor joked as we took off.

"Hahaha, you're hilarious." I crossed my arms, the silver metal cold against my other arm. I'd slightly cut and modified the Blood Dragon armor plates to make it less bulky over the arm, though the overall design was about the same; I'd also taken the shoulder plate to replace the one currently on my armor- mostly because I thought it'd look cool and add to the asymmetry of the design. I did get rid of the crimson on it, which would leave that part of my armor a shiny silver. _Unless I paint over it with the Camouflage pattern...eh, shoulder plate maybe, but I kinda like the shiny silver look...I'm sure it'll come back to bite me later when it draws attention to me and I start getting shot at, but then again I always seem to get shot at._

"So did you also put in-"

"The old Dreadshot and lash tech was still there- I upgraded it a bit to bring it up to where the other set was, but yes, _Mom,_ I tested it." _Granted, Hephastus told me how to test it after he showed up and double checked my work, but it was all good...aside from me missing a fucking arm._

She glared at me, but also seemed to be trying not to smile at the mom comment. "I was going to ask if you put in something with knives, actually."

"Not yet...might ask Tali to help me with that after we pick her up, but I could probably figure it out myself at this point...also should probably move my shoulder blade over from the other armor to the new shoulder plate."

"Right, because all those little collapsable blades on your collar bone aren't enough."

"Those are for throwing. The shoulder blade is for throwing _and _stabbing."

"I take it you want me to set a course for Haestrom then?" Joker said behind us.

"If it's not too much trouble." I Raptor said, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, I looked up some data about that- direct sunlight will fry shields or biotic barriers. I recommend taking Grunt just because he doesn't use them...and because he needs to get out more anyway." _Doubt we'll have a chance to head to Tuchanka for a while...also, note to self: Try to get her to do Mordin's thing and I'll deal with the giant Thresher Maw so she doesn't have to deal with the flashbacks...and then I have to deal with a Thresher Maw...sometimes I wish I were a worse friend...other than letting her get killed, but...okay, yeah, no, backed myself into a corner there._

"What, he just uses armor?"

"That, and fortification to make it stronger." I shrugged. "And if things get tight...well, getting close is what he's really good at." I rubbed at my thigh, where he'd gotten me good earlier. "Believe me, I know."

"So Garrus, and a krogan...well, it's worked before...Uh, Grunt isn't going to have any problems with-"

"Garrus and Mordin are part of the 'clan'; Grunt knows better."

"Good." She let out a sigh of relief as we both got into the elevator. "So we've got about five hours until we get there- ideas in the meantime?"

"Don't want to tinker on the arm and ruin it, so...damnit, I should've bought some wood on the citadel."

"...Uh, can you run that by me again?

"I mean some blocks of wood! You know, for carving!"

"...I was going to say-"

"Yeah, wasn't the best way to phrase it, I know."

"Yeah, it was probably the _worst _way you could've said it."

"Oh like you haven't had just as many things like that! Like that 'asari are sensitive in different places' thing back after we got Jack."

"...Sometimes I hate having a best friend with eidetic memory."

"And just think; we recruit Thane and you'll have two people on board like that."

She groaned loudly as she leaned against the wall.

"By the way, are you actually going to hit the button for a specific floor or are you just planning on staying on this one?"

She facepalmed. "I'm just heading up to my cabin- what about you?"

I hit the button for the top floor, using the right hand; the left hand gave me almost no sense of touch, so I didn't want to accidently apply too much force.

_Going to have to be careful about that. Don't want to break my guns by accident…_ "On second thought, I'm going to go down to the shooting range and get some practice in with-" I gestured with my new arm.

"Don't burn yourself out."

"Please- remember who you're talking to."

* * *

"Keeping your skills sharp Miss Lawson?"

She nearly wheeled around and aimed at Bourne, but managed to conceal it, instead just barely missing the bullseye of the target, and firing again.

"I'll take that as a yes." He chuckled as he moved to the far end of the range, taking a gun off the wall with his biotics and doing a quick check of it before bringing to his shoulder and starting his own program.

She tried her best to ignore him; she'd gotten some news from one contact, and she was hoping her others would prove it wrong.

She looked over as she heard the sound of crunching metal. "Goddammnit I knew this was going to happen!" He said, looking at the assault rifle in his hands, the front of which was crumpled almost beyond recognition. "I go all 'you should have let me sleep!' on a guy's head one-handed, that's cool. Do it to a gun while I'm holding it- not so cool...you know if there's any way to regulate the grip strength?" He asked her.

"What, you're not worried about me putting in a tracking chip?" She deadpanned.

"Why would I be? Those are _easy _to find and remove...Oh, damnit, that just made the whole thing lock up."

She sighed and stored her gun as she walked over. "Take off the panels on the back of the hand and there should be a power regulator."

He popped it off with his free hand. "What, this cylindrical part?"

"No, it should be a small- this, here." She touched it lightly with a finger.

His eyes went to purple as he looked at it. "Okay, yeah, seeing it in the blueprints... didn't screw with anything near it though."

"No, you just don't have a way to adjust it- you can either calibrate to a specific grip, or you can create a switch of some sort and program it."

"...Yeah, I'm not good enough with tech that I could do the programing...but there'd be plenty of room for a system right here." He said, turning the arm over and looking at the underside. "Some sort of sliding mechanism,and I could adjust it with my biotics like the dreadshot power levels."  
"If you can build something, I'll help you program it." She said. "You'll just owe me-"

"You're going to use it an excuse to have me help you relocate your sister?"

She looked up at him in surprise before she could stop herself.

"I'd have helped you even if you didn't do this for me...I mean, I still want you to help me with it now, since there's pretty much nobody else on board to ask, but…" He shrugged and walked over to the gun table, activating his one-handed omni-tool. "Yeah, shouldn't be too complex to build something like that."  
"You would have helped me if I didn't do this for you?" She said skeptically.

"...I probably will even if you don't do the program." He said, turning back to look at her. "I ain't your biggest fan Miranda, we both know that...but I'm not going to let a kid go to a sicko like your father just cause of a grudge." He turned back to the table. "And being genetically modified...I think I can relate to why you cut ties with him."

"...Maybe you could." She admitted, walking over to the table. "It's...hard, knowing I'm...only as smart as I am because someone else made me this way."

"Or as fast, or tough." He agreed wistfully. "All of that just given to us without us asking for it, or earning it...makes you wonder how much you can really claim credit for?"

"I think bringing a person back from the dead is worth some credit."

"You know what I mean." He rolled his eyes.

"...I suppose I do." She shook her head. "It's a fact though, our biotics, our...well, _my _looks and intelligence-"

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that." He said, though it looked like he was fighting a smile.

"All paid for by my father."

"Yeah, and the sick fucks that put me together...well, even with the bugs disabled I don't feel like talking about it, but I know what you mean." He turned towards her. "Still, your genes and past don't define who you are; they're just the starting point for what we chose to become- who, we chose to become."

"I'm not sure I believe that, but I appreciate the thought."

They worked on their respective tasks in silence for several minutes.

"At least you can take some comfort in that you're not a cyborg; all your achievements are based on having the original parts _working _instead of…" He trailed off as she visibly tensed. "Is something...wrong...oh my god." He covered his mouth with his hand. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

She walked several feet away, not even realizing until she stopped that her hands were pressed to her stomach.

"God- I'm…damnit." He said just barely loud enough that she could hear.

"...How did you find out?"

"...I found the medical file when I was digging for info on you."

She reluctantly turned to look at him, and saw he was looking at the ground, face the most shameful she'd ever seen him look.

"...So you know I can't conceive a child."

"...Yes."

She turned away from him again. She didn't hear him walking up behind him, but she felt him place his hand on her shoulder in sympathy.

She half went to move it, then stopped and let it stay.

"...Is that why your father created Oriana?" He asked gently.

"...he wanted a legacy that would last...for more than just one generation...I couldn't give him that, so...some perfect woman I turned out to be."

"Don't talk like that." He said gently but firmly, spinning her around to face him. "I won't pretend to know what that's like, but-"

"But I can be happy anyway? Any child would be lucky to have me *adopt* them? I've heard it all before."

"...I'm sorry."

She brushed his hand off of her, and walked past him out of the shooting range, trying to not let her eyes water. She heard what sounded like a very loud biotic explosion behind her, but didn't look back.

* * *

I punched the wall angrily, denting it slightly. _...Okay, note to self. Having a robotic arm does not mean the shoulder is enhanced...just means there's a fuckton of phantom limb pain that makes me wish for the original arm even more, and makes me more pissed at Jennifer and the world in general... Oww…._I punched the wall with my gloved other hand, denting it further.

_ (Wow, that may the third or even worst you've ever fucked something up.) _

I looked at the crate nearby and saw Iron sitting on it.

_(I mean, maybe aside from the thing with Alenko, but that was bad luck and reality warping whereas this you just were a dumbass about...Well, on the brightside you've still got Jack if you want a quick lay, or Tali if you wanna actually *work* for it. And extra challenge with her thanks to Garrus and let's be honest, mostly me.)_

I threw the crate against the far wall, and smiled in satisfaction as he fell on his ghostly ass.

_(Oh, yeah, that's your answer to everything- throw it.)_

_ *Shut up.* _Hero appeared next to him, putting a foot on his chest as he got back up and holding him there with seemingly no effort. _*Yeah, that was a pretty major faux pas...I dunno how you can really fix it, but helping with her sister is at least a start.*_

I glanced over at where she'd been a moment ago, then at my arm. _Well, I guess I could go ask Garrus for help with the program..._I sent him a quick message.

_*Okay, now you're just ignoring us?*_

I went back to building the mechanism. _So, design looks good, now I just need to fabricate the parts and put those together._

_ (Ten bucks says it explodes on him.)_

I stopped and considered something for a moment, then turned around and hit Iron with the Dreadshot, full power.

It seemed to hit him, even as I was slammed back into the wall myself. _So, yes, recoil is still just as powerful...maybe there's some way to build recoil dampeners into the arm so I can fire full blast like that without being knocked back, but still be able to turn it on and off so I can use the recoil to get around like I have been...yeah, that I'm going to need help with._

_ *Couldn't you just charge and teleport?*_

_ )What, and limit my options for damnit I was trying to ignore the hallucinations!(_

_ (Why? I learn all sorts of things from talking to mine...see, this chick, _he _gives great advice.) _He gestured to the empty air next to him.

_*...You wanna blast him, or should I?*_

_ )You go ahead.( _I turned back to the table and smoothly started putting the pieces together..._Now I need a wireless uplink, and the program itself...yeah, I'll need Garrus' help for both of those._

_ (Oww! Seriously, why do you fuckheads _always _hit me directly in the testicles! OWW! **Doing it again** was **not **an answer to my question!)_

* * *

As we jumped out of the shuttle, I slapped my right hand against the back of my neck with a hiss.

"What is it?" Raptor asked, landing next to me.

"Pretty sure I just got an instant sunburn."

"Let me see...yeah, looks like."

I applied a bit of medigel with a wince.

"Well, can't say I'm too surprised." Garrus said. "If the suns can fry shields, makes sense that the radiation might be a bit much for human skin to handle."

"Yeah, and since I don't feel like having my neck as a tan line-" I pulled my helmet off my back and slid it over my head, watching the plates of transparent material slide together in front of me. The same displays as my visor appeared on it, as it went opaque as well.

"Damnit!" I looked over to see Raptor jerking back from the sun. "Yeah, I'm putting on my helmet too." She switched it out for her Visor. "Might want to consider it too Garrus- I know Turians are tougher than we are in that respect, but your face has taken enough damage lately."

"At least the helmet is brand new." He muttered, slipping it on.

He was wearing the silver armor from the DLC; I'd had hephaestus working on it for a while, and remembered to grab that and Tali's armor from the shop; I hadn't bothered with Grunt or Thane though, because the former didn't really need it and the exposed chest helped the latter stave off symptoms of Kepral's syndrome.

"I'll pass." Grunt said, moving ahead of the rest of us.

"Keep your eyes open- no way we'll be lucky enough to avoid having to fight Geth. And if there's too many of them dead to seem normal, we might have some unwanted guests." I checked my gun one more time- I'd brought The Assassin, Locust, and Mosquito, and the Executioner pistol and Plasma Shotgun just in case.

"How could they know you'd be here?"

"How did they know I'd be on Omega, Korlus or Horizon?"

Garrus seemed to be thinking that over. "Point taken...though I don't know whether it's really a good thing in this case."

"I'm going to say it's not." Raptor said.

I thought of my own network of contacts; most of the info I got was stuff I already know due to being from another dimension, or else it was pretty much useless to me.

_Although...no, not an option now, and not important now. File it away for later._

"Emergency Log entry-" A message played as Shepard walked through a door nearby. "The geth are here! I've stayed behind to buy the others time. If you get this, find Tali'Zorah. Her and that data are all that matters- Keelah Selai."

"Sounds like getting in and out quietly isn't going to be an option." Raptor said, glancing at the dead quarian on the floor.

"Is it ever?" I commented, opening the nearby door. "Come on- don't know how long he's been dead, but it looks recent, which means Tali's probably going to need backup."

"Agreed." We moved through the now open gate, and looked up as we heard something from the sky.

"Dropship, inbound!" Garrus shouted a warning.

"Grunt, take point, and draw their fire if you can. Garrus, Raptor, hit them while he's got them distracted."

"What about you? That arm's going to-"

"I'll impro- I'll adapt." I said, shaking off another flashback- and for some reason sudden nausea- and sending my Assassin into my right hand, glad that they'd recovered it and my other guns.

_Kinda odd that Slade didn't take this like he did my Spectre Weapons...or the Mosquito, or the Locust...maybe they let me keep them for a challenge or something?...or else reality warping was on my side...wait- does that mean that they might-_

"I! AM! KROGAN!" Grunt rushed forward, and slammed into a Geth as it landed, knocking it back. Its two friends turned towards him, but Garrus and Shepard took them down.

_Argh, worry about it later!_

I saw a Rocket Trooper and activated the lash from my left hand, sending it flying at it; it went right through the shields and I sent it flying into the air, slamming it into a building and causing it fall to the ground lifeless. _No, wait, it was already...it was synthetic, so lifeless may not be the right...offline...deactivated...I broke it, is the point._

"Three of us and a Krogan against an army of Geth- just like old times, huh?" Raptor chuckled as she ducked down to pop in a new clip.

"Yeah, except this time there's only one _good _biotic, since Wrex is gone and-"

She stood up and threw one Geth into another, lined up a shot that went through them both and finished them off, and then turned to me. Helmet or not I could tell she was smirking.

"...And I'm an _expert _biotic." I threw a Flare into another group, sending them flying, and double tapped the survivors with the assassin. "Looks like that's all from this area, but there's bound to be more."

"Good." Grunt said, shaking his foot, apparently trying to get rid of the Geth torso that it was currently rammed through.

"Could we try raising the Quarians on the radio?" Raptor asked us.

"Maybe, but the Geth would probably detect it." Garrus said.

I brought up my omni-tool. "Not seeing any open channels anyway. Might be able to patch into a secure channel if I knew the frequency, but a full spectrum scan would take ages."

"So we keep looking...do you need help with that?" She asked Grunt.

He finally just shot part of it, weakening it enough his foot came right out.

"Okay then...I guess we're going that way."

Grunt...well, _grunted _agreement as he charged forward at a pair of Geth that rounded the corner. He just slapped one of them and sent it flying, then headbutted the other and shot it point blank with an overcharged blast from his plasma shotgun.

"How is he only a couple days old and already able to do that?" Garrus muttered.

"Same way you were already ugly at only a couple days old." Grunt answered over the comm.

"What, you mean you're this good at killing cause you were dropped on your head when you were born?" I could tell Garrus was glaring at me past the helmet, and Grunt turned to give me a Krogan stink eye as well, not seeing the shimmer in the air behind him.

I charged on instinct and slammed into the hunter, knocking it against a wall as it became visible for a moment. It was long enough for me to press the Assassin against its head and fire twice, letting the corpse fall as the cloaking tech failed.

"Invisible geth? Like the normal type wasn't bad enough." Garrus sighed.

"Yeah, but turns out sometimes-" I spun around with both lashes active and caught the one that'd been sneaking up on me, slamming it into the wall and finishing it off with a blast from the dreadshot. "You _can _hit what you can't see."

"In that case-"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm on point with Grunt, I know." I cut Raptor off.

"Did you really expect not to end up there at some point during this mission?"

"Why do you think I brought this thing?" I asked, grabbing my Executioner pistol and shooting the hunter's head off as it struggled back to its feet. I popped a new clip into the gun and motioned Grunt forward.

_So, only real problem this mission should be the colossus, barring some unforeseen- damnit, why do I do that to myself and jinx things?_

_ ...Also, is a Colossus really that difficult to take down?...I could just borrow whatever heavy weapon Raptor has and teleport in close, then take it down in about ten seconds...or just...Meh, I'll figure something out. Or I'll die a horrible flaming death. Par for the course with my life._

* * *

**T117:There, you have a kickass robot arm, will that get you to stop whining? **

**(Until he wants a hidden blade for it maybe.)**

**)Yeah, but until then-DREADSHOT!(**

**(...Oww.)**

***You really haven't thought of another name for that thing?***

**T117: Why would I even want to try at this point? The reason he didn't name his visor until chapter...whatever it was was because it actually took me that long to think of a name for it.  
**

***So it's because you're lazy.***

**T117: Lady, I got so much other crap going on- along with a bit of writer's block- that I might have to cut down to two chapters a week, or one a week. I am not going to waste what time I have trying to rename that thing.**

***Alright, alright, I get your point.***

**(I still say MURDER CANNON sounds better.)**

**)...No.(**

**(You wanted to call it that now, didn't you.)**

**)Let's just wrap this up.(**

**T117: Yeah, got nothing else to really add. Sayonara.**


	33. The Quarian

"Sounds like fighting ahead." Bourne said as he lead the way forward.

Raptor heard it a few moments after he did. _Stupid enhanced hearing._

"Two Geth, backs are to us." He said quietly as they got close. "You two wanna do the honors of a couple headshots or-" The were on the ground headless before he'd even finished the sentence.

"...Why do I bother asking questions I already know the answer to?" He muttered.

"OP-1 this is squad leader Kal Reager, come in, Over."

She walked towards the radio, but it just flew into her hands courtesy of Bourne. "I could've done that for myself you know."

She couldn't see his eyes past the helmet, but she knew he was rolling them at her blatant lie. "This is Commander Shepard of the Normandy. I haven't seen any quarian survivors here."

"Damn. Wait, Shepard? The Spectre Tali worked with?"

"Oh sure, he remembers you but hasn't heard of me." Bourne chuckled too quietly for the radio to hear.

"No idea why you're here, but right now any organic is a welcome sight. Patch your radio into 617 theta."

Bourne's omni-glowed around his right hand and a moment later she heard Reager's voice in her ear. "Got it." He joined the conversation. "So I'm betting you didn't come here for tourism?"

"We were on a stealth mission, high risk. Geth found us, and we're down to half strength. Made the synthetic bastards pay for it, but I'm glad to have some backup. They've got us pinned down, and with the solar radiation we can't get a message to our ship for evac."

"What's your location?" Raptor asked.

"I'm at our base camp on the other side of the valley. Got Tali'zorah to a secure bunker, then doubled back to hold the choke point. Our top priority is getting her out safely- if you can extract her, we'll cover your retreat."

"I'd prefer to end this without making you throw your life away, or give it for the migrant fleet or whatever you want to call it." Bourne cut in, already in motion towards the firefight ahead, biotics glowing around both hands as he used his lashes to yank a pair of Geth into the air.

"Watch your ass! Dropship coming in!"

Bourne looked up, and swore before teleporting out of the way. The ship hovered overhead long enough to fire at the bunkered down Quarians. A nearby pillar collapsed in front of the door.

"Damnit- door's blocked! There should be demo charges in the building nearby! Grab them and you can clear it!"

"Yeah, i got a better idea-"

She suddenly was grabbed by the arm, then she was disoriented as she went through a wormhole and reappeared on the other side of the collapsed pillar. Bourne was barely there before he disappeared again, and brought Garrus in, leaving him in the same disoriented state.

"You guys might wanna back up. Junior here ain't exactly on a diet, and I don't want his arm reappearing in your head or something."

"You know, you could've asked first." She grumbled as she opened the door.

"Or you could've just gotten the demo charges." Garrus agreed.

"The thing's only like...I dunno, maybe four and a half feet high, five tops? The only reason we couldn't have just climbed over it or helped each other over it is...well-" He reappeared with Grunt- except the Krogan was somehow above him, and after a moment he collapsed under the weight.

"-...because this guy is really goddamn heavy." He moaned into the floor as Grunt got off of him. "Oww."

He pushed himself to his feet, wincing. "I'm almost sorta glad that one arm is robotic- means at least one part of me isn't in extreme pain now...except I think the hand is jammed open." He looked at it, frowning, and obviously trying to move it, but the fingers stayed locked, fully extended. "Damnit. Garrus, can you give me-"

"A hand with that?" He laughed.

"...I was going to say 'some help' specifically to avoid the lameass pun that's a little too soon for my taste, but yes."

They moved into the room and took in the sight of the many dead Quarians, and more than a few Geth- one of which was still crawling towards them weakly.

Bourne shot it in the head with his Assassin, even as Garrus was opening a panel on his left hand.

Shepard moved over to refill on thermal clips from the nearby weapon's locker. Then she took off her grenade launcher and looked at it for a moment. "Bourne- you think I'm going to need this?"

He glanced up at her, while Garrus did something with the wiring. "We've been lucky enough to not run into any Primes or Juggernauts _so far,_ but- arh, careful!" He looked back at Garrus. "That thing's hooked up to my shoulder, remember? It twitches like that, everything else is pulled with it, and the muscles ain't exactly meant to be moved that way anyway!"

She looked back at the weapons locker and slide the grenade launcher into it, letting it be dismantled and broken down into its components as she entered in a new design for the device to give her.

She smiled as she slid it onto her back, though she doubted they'd really need it. _Doesn't mean I can't enjoy having it though._

"Okay, try now."

"...Yeah, I can move the fingers, but...good, looks like the grip strength control is still working." He flexed his fist several times. "Thanks."

"You're either going to have to upgrade, get a lot better at doing that yourself, or else we'll have to take a tech person on every mission." Shepard noted.

"Come on Raptor, how often do I end up underneath a Krogan?"

"Your love life is none of my business."

He glowered at her as they all laughed, but as he opened his mouth to reply the nearby message terminal opened.

"Tali'zorah to base camp, come in base camp."

Raptor walked over to it, and tapped a few buttons. "Tali, this is Shepard."

There was a few moments silence before Tali repeated the request, somewhat more urgently than before.

Bourne's arm shot past her- apparently he'd walked up to her with the stealth- and hit a button she hadn't tried, then gestured to it.

"Tali, it's Shepard."

The quarian almost did a double take. "Shepard? I'm not complaining, but you show up at the strangest times."

"Yeah, there was that time we saved your ass from the Shadow Broker, the time we helped you on Freedom's progress, and now saving you from the Geth." Bourne chuckled.

"There was also the time you stabbed me in the gut." She glared at him, before looking back at Shepard. He shook his head and moved over to the locked door, opening his omni-tool.

"What are you doing in the middle of Geth Space?"

"We were in the neighborhood, thought we'd come by, lend a hand, see if we couldn't recruit you for that mission we're on." Raptor answered. "Though if you'd rather talk about that after the gunfire dies down, I'd understand that."

"Yeah. Kal'Reager and what's left of the marines got me into the observatory- across that door and through a field crawling with Geth. I'm safe for now, and I've got the research, but if you could hurry, I'd appreciate it."

"We'll be there as soon as we can." Garrus said, stepping up next to her.

"Garrus? You're here too?"

"Yeah, dunno how they managed to talk me into it again, but I guess someone has to keep an eye on Bourne."

"The _only _reason I'm not objecting to that statement is that you just helped me fix the stupid hand."

"Fix his hand?" Tali asked, glancing at him, though Shepard didn't know if she could actually see the Spectre on her end.

"Long story." He said without looking up.

"What sort of research is worth all of this?" She asked.

"My father sent me here- we were trying to research the Geth- ambush some of them, take them mostly alive...figuring out new weaknesses."

Bourne looked over, shock on his face before he managed to get it back to normal. "I thought you were here about the Sun?"

"No- we know it went bad fast, but as far as we can tell there's nothing abnormal about it. Worth one mention maybe, but not a full on...it's not worth worrying about after."

"...If you say so." He said, moving back to the lock, but obviously disturbed somehow.

"Are you alone, or is anyone else with you?" Raptor asked, deciding to worry about it some other time.

"There was a squad of Marines covering me- at least one of them is still alive. I can hear them firing at the Geth."

Bourne swore loudly in Prothean as his omni-tool went red. "Ah, forget this! Tali, this door is seriously screwed up, no way we're getting it open from here. Can you do anything on your end, or are we going to have to blast it open?"

"If you try blasting it open, the whole place could collapse on us." Grunt spoke up. "These ruins are old- real old."

"He's right." Tali said, though by the way she was looking past them, she couldn't actually see Grunt. "Here, let me...ah, got it, should be working now."

The display went from red to green, and Bourne nodded as it opened. "We're on the way." He said, sprinting through it down the ramp behind it.

"You know, when _he _says that, I'm not really sure whether I'm reassured." Tali commented.

* * *

"You know what you were saying earlier about just like old times?" I asked as we got up off the floor. "Cause I don't remember hating Colossuses as much before!...Colossuses, Colossussi...whichever it is."

"Pretty sure its the first one." Raptor said, making a hasty run down the ramp out of the bunker.

I was right behind her, and had to roll to the side as the Colossus launched a plasma bolt right at me. I teleported behind cover next to Reager and launched a flare, blinding the Geth and giving the others opportunity to get behind cover themselves.

"How did you-"

"There's a reason I'm a Spectre." I said flatly. "You Reager?"

"Yeah. Still no idea why you two are here, but I can't afford to be picky right now."  
"Tali's in that building across the way I take it?" Garrus asked from behind me.

"Yeah- the Geth killed the rest of my squad, and now they're trying to get to her. I've been able to draw their attention, but that's about it."  
"Looks like nearly a platoon." Grunt said, popping up quickly to fire a concussive shot before hastily ducking again. "And that's without the big one."

"Yeah, and the damn thing has a repair protocol, huddles up and fixes itself."

"We'll need to get in close then, finish it off quickly...how many shots do you have left for that thing?" I gestured to his rocket launcher.  
"I've got enough for a while."

I smiled, plan coming to mind. "Raptor, you go left up the catwalk, and you'll have a perfect sniping position, should be able to move up and flank it with the grenade launcher. And if I take his rocket launcher I can-"  
I cut off as a shockwave in the air caught me even through the cover, and dust flew towards us with a massive boom.

"...Okay, is it possible to be in love with a gun? Because this thing may actually be the one weapon better than a sniper rifle."

I looked over at Raptor, who was looking at the gun in her hands with a giant grin.

"...When did you get that?" I asked blankly, staring at the M920-Cain.

"I had some free time when you were out...mining was still really boring, but worth it for this thing. I'll let you three mop things up."

Grunt needed no further orders than that before he tore around the corner and charged a hunter whose cloak had been disabled with the shockwave.

"You do realize you'll only be able to use that every few missions, and you'd have to-"

"Yeah, EDI and Jacob already told me all that. I told them it was idiotic that we didn't have a stock of Power Cells like we do Thermal Clips, and to make some requisition orders."

"...You know, that kinda was idiotic." _Yet totally unlike the game...so is the reason Tali said they're here._

_I mean, the sun thing was obviously an aborted arc since it was never brought up in the third game- and they changed the ending from dark energy to harvesting to preserve...but then, how do I know that that's these Reapers' goal?_

_Bringing me...bringing _us _into this universe never happened in the game...unless it did happen but we just died in that version of events...really doesn't make much sense now that I examine it closer...could these Reapers be different? Have a different goal than that BS troll-logic preserving life by harvesting it thing?...Unlikely, but possible._

"Looks like that's all of them." Garrus said as Grunt ripped the head off a Rocket Trooper.

"I guess its better than getting shot again." Reager said, grunting as he got to his feet. "Thanks for the assist."

"Let's go talk to Tali." Raptor said. "But uh, maybe don't say anything?" She said to me.

"With me there's never a guarantee, but I see your point...can I at least freak her out with the arm?"

"...If we get her on the Normandy, sure. Until then, don't do anything stupider than you usually are."

"...Uh, will do?"

She rolled her eyes and walked across the field towards the bunker- I kept an eye on her back and on my radar, though I doubted anything was still alive between the almost-nuke Raptor had sent at the Geth and the Cain she'd fired before that.

Tali had her back to us as we walked in, but turned as she heard Grunt's heavy footsteps.

"Thank you Shepard- if not for you I'd have never made it out of this room."

_I helped too!...on the way here...and did absolutely nothing in the fight with the Colossus except ducking when it fired at us...no wonder Raptor told me to shut it._

"This whole mission has been a disaster. I wish I could've joined you back on Freedom's progress, but this mission was too risky for someone else."  
"A lot of Quarians lost their lives here." Garrus said, taking off his helmet. "Was it worth it?"

"I don't know Garrus. The Admiralty Board says it was, but…a lot of people here were my friends, and all of them were good at their jobs. That data better be worth it- the price was too high even if it was."  
"For once Tali, we agree." I muttered, though I could tell by the look she'd gave me she heard it.

"So if your mission here is done, could I convince you to give us some help on the Normandy?" Raptor asked.

"I promised I'd see this mission through, and I did. I'll let Reager take the data to the fleet for me. And if the Admirals have a problem with it, they can go to hell. We just watched the rest of our team die."

"Understood." He said, wincing slightly, holding a hand to his stomach. "Commander's as good as you said she was though- Colossus didn't even stand a chance."

"Okay, you can't give her skill points when she was using what's basically a mini-nuke launcher." I objected.

"Oh? And how would you have dealt with it?"

"...I hadn't really made a plan before you just blew it up."  
"So, what was your plan going to be?"

"...I was going to use a rocket launcher and blow it up once I got close."

"So how is that different than what I did?"

"It's not- zero skill, just explosions. I didn't say my idea was better, just that there wasn't a lot of skill involved."

"Uh huh." She rolled her eyes. "Shuttle should be in range- let's call it in before the Geth find it."

"Yeah, I'm eager to get off this rock...I think I might've gotten a tan on my face even through the faceplate."

"Cerberus saw footage of you in action Tali, we're looking forward to having you on the-" I shut Jacob up with a wave of my hand and a stasis field.

"Dude, she has no end of reasons to not like you guys- don't try playing nice and expecting it to work."

"Should I even point out the hypocrisy of that statement?" She asked, giving me a scathing look. "The last time we spoke before Freedom's progress, you were telling...Saren, to go ahead and snap my neck. Something about 'hostages only work when your enemy cares if they live?'...then something about fate and puppets that didn't make sense."

"He was beyond insane by that point- I was going along with it, waiting for a chance. And it worked, didn't it?"

"You really aren't helping your case Jason."

I glanced over at her. "Wasn't trying to- just explaining the reasoning since I never had the chance before." I looked back at Tali. "I don't blame you for not trusting me- and I blame you even less than not at all for not trusting Cerberus. But for now, we're on the same side, so we need to at least pretend to be almost civil."

"I'm here for her." She said, gesturing to Raptor. "Not for Cerberus...or for you."

"Fair enough. Might even be better that way." I glanced at Jacob, and deciding she'd find out about EDI anyway, that I might as well let him say it and get the brunt of the hate.

He gave me a glare as I let him out, then looked at her as she walked out. "Be sure to introduce yourself to EDI, the Normandy's new Artificial Intelligence."

She stopped and looked back at him.

"How is it she glares more effectively through her helmet than either of us can without one?" I muttered as the door closed behind her.

"How is it you thought mentioning that was a good idea?" Raptor asked, giving Jacob a death glare that was actually not far behind Miss Vas'Neema.

"She'd have found out eventually." I pointed out. "And your reaction when I let it slip wasn't much better."

"Maybe...Jacob, go tell Joker to set a course for Ilium." She said, clearly still unhappy with him.

He saluted and was gone.

"So, what's the plan when we get there? Split up, each go after one of them?"

"You said you did read their dossiers?"

"Yeah. Drell Assassin, and a Justicar. From what I've read up on the Drell...well, let's just say if I'm right he won't exactly be a typical assassin, personality wise."  
"Maybe...do you know anything about Justicars?"

"Kinda like Asari warrior-monks." I said with a shrug. "Give up family, possessions, and dedicate themselves to one hell of code of conduct- black and white as it gets. Most are on some lifelong mission, but for a cause like this I think we could win her over...except that they pretty much kill criminals on sight, so maybe be careful about who we take with."

"Hmm...Not Jack or Zaeed, but otherwise…" She almost collapsed against the table in exhaustion. "Do you think we can get Liara onboard?"

"...I don't know." _I could probably talk to her in private afterwards, say how much Raptor needs her and stuff- maybe bring Kasumi so she can take out all the listening devices within x distance- but at the same time if I've got reality warping working against me…Then again, the only real important part is that she's able to go after the Shadow Broker and take over. We could just give her that info when we get it on the ship instead of having to take it to her...it's at least worth a shot. I owe Raptor that much._

"I think it would be better to stick together if possible though." I said suddenly. "If any of the Trio are there, I don't know that I can take them solo...one on one, I think I'd win, but me vs two or more than my odds drop significantly."

"They just knocked me out without any hassle last time."

"I don't know if they even will show." _Mercs would shoot them on sight- unless they disguised themselves among them- and one of the spots is a crimescene...maybe in Miranda's mission?...speaking of which- _"Change of topic, but Miranda...well, if you want the details you can talk to her yourself, but she asked for help with something while we're there."

"If we've got time." She said, clearly not liking the thought of helping her.

I sighed. "Look, let's just say...she and I are both genetically engineered, so I can understand why she wants help with this...and honestly, I kinda want to help her. I did something stupid earlier."

"What was that?"  
"I...when I was poking around looking for info on her, I found something out and...I let something stupid about slip it on accident."  
"What's that?"

"I'm not going to give you more ammo to use against her Raptor." I said, surprising myself as my eyes went red. "You don't have to like her, but you can at least be a little bit grateful that she brought you back from the dead."

"Yeah, and made plenty of changes." She said, holding up a glowing blue fist. "The only reason she didn't do more is because you and Timmy told her not to. I mean, a control chip in my brain?" She surprised me by grabbing my hand and forcing it palm up, letting the spider web of scars be extra visible in the light.

"You, of all people should-"

"I did. That's why I stopped her- I found out what she feared most, and I threatened to make it happen." I yanked my arm out of her grasp, but only because she was letting me. "She's kind of a bi- scratch the kinda, she's a bitch. She makes me want to shoot her fairly often, and her choice in armor is downright idiotic. None of that means she's evil, and that you need to put all your hate on her."

"I don't- I put it on damn near everyone on this ship fairly equally."

"That include me?" I asked, spreading my arms out in front of me. "Because I was with them for the two years while you were gone, and I thought I was doing the right thing. The people on this ship think they're helping humanity, that they're doing the right thing. A lot of them only joined because of you- think about that for a second. Hell, I'd bet if you told The Illusive Man he could go eat a dick, flipped him the bird, and said you weren't working with Cerberus anymore, you'd get a fucking standing ovation from most of the crew. But that ovation would actually not include me because as much as I'd love to see the look on that smug prick's face if you did say and do that, we need their resources right now, and you constantly reminding people you hate them isn't going to help the situation!"

"Neither is you defending them."

"...Do you want off this mission?"

"What?"

"You heard me. If you can't even be on the same ship with them, you can always go back to the Alliance, where they'll ignore your warnings about the reapers- and I'll take down the Collectors by myself."

She hesitated, and for a brief moment I thought she'd take me up on the offer. Then I felt reality shifting around me and she shook her head. "No, you're right...doesn't mean I have to like it though."

I nodded, but at the same time I was hiding a bit of shock. _Is she really only staying because of my reality warping?_

"I'm going to go...do _something _in my cabin." She said with a sigh as she walked out.

I stayed where I was for several minutes.

_*You know she's doing this for more than your powers.* _Hero said, suddenly sitting on the table next to me.

_)Is she?...I think she hates Cerberus more than she hates the Reapers.(_

_*So did I, after Thane was killed by Kai Leng...didn't stop me from hating and fighting them both.*_

_)That's different.(_

_*She lost an entire squad, I lost the love of my life- it *is* different, but there's definitely some parallels there.*_

_)...Maybe.(_

_*Just keep her on track until the Collector ship; that'll give her the push.*_

_(Yeah, and it'll also give her a Widow that she'll probably sleep with like a teddy bear.)_

_*...* )...(_

_(We're all imagining that now, aren't we.)_

_)I'm imagining her cuddled up to the damn thing...and...Wow I'm glad you guys are ghosts so you didn't see that.(_

_*...I don't want to know, do I.*_

_(Lady, _I _don't want to know what sorta sick twisted things just went through his mind...unless they involve her using the rifle to kill herself and splattering blood everywhere.)_

_)Well, now I'm imagining her using the gun to castrate you.(_

_(...) _He was gone after that, Hero fading a moment after as well

_Well, here's hoping I can get Liara on this ship. Otherwise...no, no, she wouldn't leave me to do this solo...would she?_

* * *

**)Seriously, you are a dick Trebor. Either you're torturing your characters, or you're tormenting your fans with cliffhangers.(**

**T117: Does that count as a cliffhanger really? **

**)...I don't know. But it's true as a general rule either way.(**

**T117: Meh, it's like Joss Whedon said- if everyone's happy and everything's perfect, it's boring.**

I do not believe-

**T117: I was paraphrasing.  
**

**(Why are you even quoting him when you haven't even watched Firefly and that's-)**

**T117: I'll get around to it eventually! Between Spike giving me crap about that and the fact that netflix keeps recommending it, kinda hard to forget about it...That and he did my third favorite movie of all time.**

***Ugh, you actually liked the original Buffy Movie?***

**T1117: No, I mean-**

**)Alien Resurrection? If you say Alien Resurrection, I will just leave now and never come back.(**

**T117: I mean The Avengers! Idiots!**

**(...The sequel looks badass.)**

**T117: I know, right? Hulk Buster Ironman!**

**)Yeah, but it had a lot to live up to _before_ Guardians of the Galaxy surprised everyone.(**

***It's the sequel to the third highest grossing film of all time. I don't see how they could really screw that up.***

**(...They could...uh...yeah, I can't think of anything either. Maybe if they put in like, Squirrel Girl or something stupid like that.)**

**)...Now I kinda want to see that as a cameo.(**

**T117: Well, if they were willing to take a risk on GotG...eh, still unlikely.**

***You do remember the end credit scene for GotG?***

**T117: Good point. Anyway, I'm calling it early since that stupid Daylight savings thing is bound to screw me up tomorrow. Sayonara.**


	34. Illium

"We've only been here two seconds and there's already mechs with guns walking towards us." Raptor muttered next to me, hand near her gun. "Even for us, that's a record right?"

Garrus forced a chuckle as we walked forward towards the asari between them. "At least we're consistent."

"Guys, there's only two of them. Any one of us could take down a _squad _solo- or a dozen squads in my case." I pointed out just before the Concierge stepped forward into hearing range.

"Welcome to Nos Astra Commander Shepard. We've been instructed to waive all docking and administration fees for your visit."

"Liara paid for them?" I *guessed*, "And something something wants to speak to us at our convenience?"

She blinked in surprise. "Actually, yes. She's near the trading floor."

"Thanks- though for future reference, maybe don't have the mechs if you're just delivering a message like that? My friend here kinda has an itchy trigger finger, and isn't all that bright." Raptor smirked.

"You're the one who had a hand on a weapon the whole way in." I glared as we walked past her.

"Yeah, and your hand literally _is _a weapon."

"We're biotics- biotics can kill things with their _brains_. And _you _can kill someone just by slapping them in the face so your entire bloody arm is a 's a difference between that and- ah forget it."

"For the record- and I can't believe I'm saying this- I think Bourne kind of has a point." Miranda surprised me.

EDI spoke up before I could reply. "Customs records indicate both dossier targets are still on Illium- your former teammate may be able to help you track them down. I also have a message for Ms. Lawson- Lanteia has reserved a room at eternity and will be waiting."

She nodded absently, then perhaps realizing EDI couldn't see it, spoke aloud. "Thank you EDI."

I glanced at Raptor. "She tell you what she wants help with?" I asked quietly in prothean.

She shot me a surprised look. "I know you've done that a couple times, but how exactly do you know how to do that?...and how do I know how to do it either?" She asked, now speaking in the same tongue. "I mean, last time we got stuck this way."

"Beats me." I shrugged.

"...She told me she wants help with moving her twin sister to safety, but I get the feeling she was holding something back."

"She was."

She shot me an annoyed look. "And are you going to fill me in?"

"...Raptor, you're a good friend and all, but I think that's more Liara's job."

Her face went bright red, and she moved too fast for me to dodge, hitting me in the stomach and actually throwing me several feet into the wall.

"Do I even want to know?" Garrus asked. "Also, is my translator glitching?"

"We were speaking in Prothean," Raptor answered quietly, still glaring at me as I got up.

"Worth it." I coughed, holding a hand to my gut. "You totally set yourself up for that one...though I'm not sure how the play on words still worked in that language."

"Just be glad I haven't figured out biotic punching...yet."

I gulped audibly, then shrugged. "Still was worth it for the look on your face."

She took a half step towards me and I teleported so I was behind Garrus. "So, uh, Liara, info broker, overthere, let's do that huh?"

"Just realize that if you make another joke, I won't hold back the punch like I did that time."

"...There's no way you were holding back with a punch like _that._"

"You really want to test that theory?"

"NonotreallyI'mgoodthankyounothankyouI'mfine."

She smirked slightly as she headed towards the office, and I winced as I followed, still holding a hand to my stomach. "You just _had _to make her **more **freaky strong, didn't you?" I hissed at Miranda.

She did not do a very good job at hiding her satisfied smile.

Raptor walked right towards Liara's office...and then went right past it. I did a biotic dash over, getting a few odd looks from people nearby. "Uh, you just went right by-"

"I know." She said quietly, this time initiating the prothean herself as she pretended to look at prices on upgrades. Luckily that one was completely automated so there was no vender nearby to overhear/not overhear. "I just...I don't know if I can do this. What if-"

"Nobody ever fell in love without being a little bit brave." I repeated her future advice to EDI.

"Don't just quote-"

"I'm not. I'm being sincere." I said seriously. "Raptor, she helped get your corpse back so you could be brought back to life. That's...actually kinda creepy when it's put like that, but it's some pretty damn serious devotion."

She looked back at the menus, apparently thinking.

"Look, either she did move on, in which case it's better to go in there and get it over with- quick, like a bandaid...or she didn't move on, in which case the worst thing that'll happen is I'll make more stupid jokes about it and you'll probably hit me."

"Probably?"  
"I've dodged _some _of your punches."

She didn't reply.

"Raptor, I _will _carry you in there biotically if I have to. Or you can stop worrying and walk in there yourself."

"...Would you really carry me in?"

"Not so much carry as drag." I crossed my arms. "Or I could teleport you in, and teleport out to let the chips fall where they may. Or, again, you can just walk in there."

"Alright, alright, I'm going." She said, apparently sensing how ready I was to do the former.

I watched her go, debating whether to actually follow her in. _If she takes Liara's...changes, badly, she might need a friend to lean on...and if she takes it well, she might just try to...wow my mind goes to weird places after a two year dry spell._

I sighed, deciding following was the better idea if for nothing else than pretending to find out what I already knew about where to find Samara and Thane.

_(You may want to consider going after Samara and letting her take the Drell.) _Iron said, leaning against a nearby kiosk.

I glanced around at the other shoppers, slightly worried and more than a little disturbed. _This is the first time he's shown up when other people were around...not a good sign for my sanity._

_(Meh, Sanity is overrated anyway.)_

I pretended to be studying prices. _)Okay, since my subconscious is-(_

_(Can we at least pretend for a second that I might be real?...or, a real ghost?...or like, in your head but a ghost in your head?)_

_)No to all of the above.(_

_(Fine. I'm just saying- you really think you'd be able to deal with Thane's mission when the whole time you'd be thinking 'he's going to die no matter what I do'.? And also 'one of the voices in my head banged you in another universe.' ?)_

_)He'd die even if he didn't save the Councilor…better to go out a hero than just waste away gasping for every breath in constant pain.(_

I glanced over to my right, half expecting to see Hero mirroring Iron. Instead, the maniac himself just walked over next to me, and I had to resist the urge to blast him, since it'd make me look insane.

_(...Dude, you're talking to me- that kinda _makes _you insane.)_

_)Even if I did Samara's mission and we split up- which aside from the trio is stupid for other reasons- I'd have to at least talk to Thane at some point or another.(_

_(Yeah, but outside of combat would be-)_

_)I'd be killing mercs on the way to meet him, how off my game could I be?(_

_(You're already a little off your game cause of that.) _He pointed at my arm. _(Samara, you're dealing with...well, really if you wanted you could just talk to her, drop her off at the police station, go snort red sand off a stripper's back for couple hours and then come back with the name of the ship since you already know it.)_

_)...Skipping the mission actually is tempting but no. Kinda want to get Pitne taken down and do something about Elnora.(_

_(Something being slit her throat? I'm just saying, you're not doing much to disprove the 'you're crazy' theory.)_

_)I could just knock her out or handcuff her and leave her.(_

_(If reality lets you do that.)_

_)A minor change like that and you think...Hard to say. Who knows if I even would spare her?(_

_(Think about this- it was still in effect for me when I was in Raptor's body on Noveria.)_

_)Unless it was just my powers acting at a distance. We arrived on Haestrom with perfect timing, Korlus with perfect timing, Omega with perfect timing-(_

_(And you know who else had perfect timing on Omega? Slade and Isaac.)_

_)...You're saying they could have-(_

_(Maybe. They were brought in with residual energy instead of a lightning bolt powerful enough to turn your body to dust, so it could be weaker if they have it...or it could be stronger, who knows how the method affects things…if I were you, I'd keep an even better watch on my back.)_

_)...Well now I know you're not really you.(_

_(How's that?)_

_)Two things. You're making sense, and you're actually helping me stay alive.(_

He blinked, half opened his mouth, shut it again, and disappeared. I glanced after Raptor and saw that only a few moments had passed. I dashed up next to her, wondering how the hallucination went quicker than normal thought as the real thing had more than two years ago.

_Unless they actually...the reality pulse when Hephaestus turned their amps back on...but why am I seeing them too instead of just hearing them?...I don't know which possibility is worse, that I'm losing my mind, or that they might actually be back._

* * *

"Have you faced an asari commando unit before? Few humans have."

Raptor frowned as she looked at Liara's back, trying to think of when she'd heard that line before...then she almost gasped as she realized it was what Benezia had said to them before letting the commandos loose and getting knocked out by Bourne.

"I'll make it simple. Either you pay me, or I flay you alive. With my mind."

"Personally, I find breaking all their bones simultaneously is easier, and a lot quicker."

She spun around at Bourne's comment, just in time to see Shepard's fist connect with his arm.

"Ah, damnit, don't punch _that _arm! You're going to dent the blasted thing...Oh for christ's sake, that's going to take ages to buff out." He said, looking at the slight indent on his shoulder plate.

"...Nyxeris, hold my calls please." Liara said, walking towards Raptor.

"For the record, if you guys want us to leave so you can-" He was cut off as Liara put him in stasis and embraced Raptor, giving her a passionate kiss in the process.

It was returned in kind. "Things like this remind me why I love you." Raptor said,

There was a faint crackle as Bourne warped out of the stasis, but neither looked at him.

"I'd heard you were alive, but I…I wasn't sure if it was true or not."

"Uh, I kinda already told her that you got her body back from the Collectors, so if you were trying to hide that, there's no real point."

"Jason, have you ever even _heard _of tact?" Raptor said, glaring at him as Liara broke the embrace, stepping towards her desk.

"Just sayin'." He shrugged.

Raptor looked back at her girlfriend. "So, you're an information broker now? And Bourne, if you cut in again, I'll put you in stasis myself, and probably do it wrong so don't make me do it."

"I see he hasn't changed much in the past two years." Liara said with a slight smile as she sat behind the desk.

Raptor saw from the corner of her eye as his hand slowly went up to his robotic arm, but he didn't say anything.

"But yes, it's paid the bills since...well, for the past two years. And now you're back, gunning for the collectors with Cerberus."

"If you know that, then you know we could use another strong biotic like yourself." Bourne said before Raptor could say something similar.

"I can't. I have commitments here- things I need to take care of."

"Like killing the Shadow Broker?" Bourne stepped forward so he was next to Shepard's chair, arms crossed. "Don't look so surprised- you're not the only one with connections nowadays...not to mention all the Cerberus intel I'm able to hack because she picks the most predictable passwords of all time." He jerked his thumb at Miranda. "She's getting better though- took me almost ten seconds to guess the newest one."

"...If you want to set up a combo, I can probably detonate it." Raptor said to both of them.

"You know, I'm actually helping you out here." He smirked. "Before you were all nervous about this, but now you've forgotten all about that because you're pissed at me."

"I'll be sure to put that in your obituary." Raptor glared at him again.

"Point was, if you came along for the ride, odds are my contacts could dig up just as much dirt as yours are, and you two could...wow I talked myself into a corner where nothing I say is going to make you not try to hit me, didn't I."

"You seem to do that a lot." Garrus commented.

Raptor ignored them both as she looked back at Liara. "He had a point though...And...damnit, Bourne, leave so you don't say something stupid and derail me!"  
There was the faint sound of his teleporting, and when she glanced back she saw he'd taken Garrus and Miranda too.

"Liara...I know it sounds selfish, but I...need you. Not for the biotics, or your contacts, but you. It's like you were the only thing keeping me together, and now I'm starting to fall apart." She put her head in her hands. "The nightmares are worse than ever."

"...Raptor, I truly wish I could...I don't know. Maybe if...I'll see what I could do to make it possible."

After a long moment, she nodded, reluctantly accepting it might be the best she would get.

She suddenly got a message on her omni-tool. **Can we come back up now, or do you need me to go help Miranda after I put a sock on the door? **

Raptor glared through the door at Bourne.

"You know...he has had worse ideas." Liara said, reading the message herself.

"...Yes, yes he has." Raptor typed a reply as Liara closed the blinds and locked the door.

* * *

"...Okaaaay. Did **not **expect her to actually take me up on that." I said with a surprised blink as I closed my omni-tool. "And since I don't think she's physically capable of joking about that, I guess we have some time to kill."

Miranda bit her lip. "Then perhaps-"

"Yeah, I was kinda implying now would be a good time to take care of that." I said, already moving towards Eternity. "Not like we can go after Thane or Samara since we didn't get the chance to ask her about them and I don't want to try asking around elsewhere."

"They can't be that hard to track." Garrus pointed out.

"And we may lose the opportunity to recruit them if we don't act now." Miranda agreed.

I stopped and looked back at them. "If what those two are doing in there helps Raptor get her head back in the game, it'll be worth _ten _Justicars and Assassins. And if we don't act now, Oriana could end up exactly where your father wants her."

For a moment, it looked like Miranda was torn between duty to the mission and love for her sister...I could see on her face when the latter won, and kept walking towards Eternity.

An asari stopped us as we went in. "Watch yourself if you go in there- some human idiot is causing trouble, trying to get me to sign the place over to him." She glanced at me , which turned into a glare. "You know, his armor actually looks a lot like yours."

"His armor looks like-...sonuvabitch." I half-stormed past her into the bar. _If this is who I think it is-_

As I walked towards the bar, I was somewhat annoyed to see it was Matriarch Aethyta that was manning it- dealing with Liara's *dad* while acting ignorant was too much of a pain in the ass for me to want to deal with it.

"You're holding out on me? Do you know who I am? I learned how to shove a gun in people's faces from Commander Shepard herself-"

I tapped him on the shoulder, getting his attention. "Let's see, rabid fan, utterly idiotic, obsessed with Shepard...you must be that idiot Conrad Verner she told me about."

He turned, and I saw his armor was...actually a surprisingly accurate replica of my old armor, down to the knives and omega on the chest. "...Lt. Jason Bourne?" He gulped audibly, especially as my eyes went red at the name.

"You know, that armor's pretty detailed, but there's a pretty big error with the boot. See, the knife is meant to be in the sheath, not through the foot."

"...Huh? What do you- Argh!" He collapsed to the floor as I threw a blade into it.

"And don't get me started on the lack of facial scars." I said casually, pulling it out and holding it like I was considering giving him matching ones.

He didn't even seem to notice. "Aaah! My foot! You stabbed my foot, Aaah!"

"Be glad he didn't put it in your eye" Aetheta commented as he got back up. "Sorry, my father was a Krogan." She said in response to Garrus and Miranda's looks.

"Now there's an idea." I growled, making Verner make a break for it- I pulled him back biotically and set him in front of me, glaring down at him.

"There are three ways this can play out. Either you're dumb enough to keep this up, and someone with real experience puts a bullet in your head, I can put a bullet in your head myself, or you can go home, stop being a dumbass, and lose the armor...personally I kinda like option two, but I think your best bet is the third one."

"But this stuff was expensive!" He protested.

"How much was it?" I asked, actually somewhat curious.

"A couple thousand credits- it's a good thing my wife was so supportive. She even paid for my shuttle fare offworld." Ayetheta facepalmed behind him, and I was tempted to as well.

"Oh good, then you could sell it to pay for a prosthetic arm's cost if I cut yours off like I'm so tempted to right now."

"But this is important! This bar is a front for a red sand deal-"

"That 'undercover' cop that told you that is a con-artist, and you're a dumbass who fell for it." I cut him off. "Need to remember to take care of her later." I muttered to myself.

"What? How do you know-"

"I am going to make this perfectly clear." I grabbed him by the throat with my right hand- not trusting my left one to not accidentally crush his trachea or snap his spine- and lifted him into the air. "You are going to go home, you are going to sell that armor online for at least what you paid for it, and you are going to stop this so you don't get hurt." Something flashed around my hand suddenly- a purple so faint and hazy it was nearly invisible, and so quickly it was gone when I blinked-, and his eyes glazed over for the same amount of time.

"Yeah, you're right. I should go home, sell the armor." He sounded a little dazed, then he shook his head as I put him down, staring at my right hand. "Go home, sell the armor." He kept repeating as he walked away.

"Moron." Aethyta glared at him as he walked away. "Thanks for getting rid of him- Bourne, he said your name was?"

"Yeah." I said distractedly, looking after him as well. _Did I just...pyschomance him on accident?...it could've been reality warping or something, but...no, if this is a quantum link-generator thing, then shouldn't I have felt something back from him?...Unless his mind really is that blank and stupid…_

_If I did do that...why do I not feel guilty? I'm actually kinda trying, and yet I just probably saved him since he's probably going to listen and he'd die if I just told him to fuck off. And since he wouldn't have listened to me like he would've too Shepard...if it is was the psychomancer, I really need a new name for the thing, and need to figure out how I did that so I don't do it again...or so I _can _do it again._

"Lawson-"

"She's over there." She pointed, walking towards her, obviously not having seen anything out of the ordinary...or too distracted to have cared.

"Miss Lawson, I'm glad you've made it; we've had a complication." Her contact said as we approached her.

"Something something mercs have been hired by her father to make sure she can't do what she's trying to do?" I *guessed*.

"Her trusted source contacted me saying the same. Your sister is fine-" She said as Miranda opened her mouth to ask. "The Eclipse mercs may be looking for you specifically; he's asked to take the family to the transport himself for safety reasons."

"He being…?"

"Niket- he's an old friend. Finally something you don't know about me."

"...Well, nobody's perfect." I said, deciding that telling her I did know would be a little too creepy. "What mercs are we talking about- Blue Suns? Eclipse?"

"The latter- and they've been hired by a group Ms. Lawson warned us about. I could try to alert the authorities, but thus far they've done nothing illegal."

"And the Spectre Status doesn't stretch as far out here." Garrus commented from behind me.

"Luckily for us, bullets do...I cannot decide if that was cheesy or not."

"If you're unsure, than it probably was."

"We'll take Niket's suggestion." Miranda said, ignoring us. "We'll take the car and lure them away."

"Why am I always the bait?" I groaned with a chuckle.

"Have Niket escort the family to the shuttle and give them full access to their etinery, just to be safe."

"You realize of course that Mercs have gunships, and the closest thing the car has to weapons is a really annoying horn? Or maybe throwing Garrus out the window at them?"

"Why exactly am I the one that has to suffer your wit instead of someone else?"

"Because if this does go south, you're the one sniper besides Raptor I'd like watching my back, and because I trust you to take care of her if she did something stupid." I said bluntly. 'Or for that matter take care of _me _if _I_ do something stupid." I added as an afterthought before looking back at Miranda. "So, the plan is basically hoping they want to take us alive?"

"Basically."

I smiled. "Ready when you are then."

"...Thank you. I hadn't planned on Eclipse...but I doubt they're ready for you."

I glanced at my robotic arm as she walked past me towards the car.

_I hope she's right…_

* * *

**(Man, it seems like Women really hate you Bourne. They hit you, they cut your arms off, they get all mad just because you insensitively bring up something about them that's typically secret, they hold a grudge because you stabbed them-)**

**)You forgot about when it gets to be that time of the month.(**

***Hm-hm.***

**(Ah!) )Ow!(**

I could not tell- did you just slam both of their heads together?

***Yep. Really hard.***

Good. They deserved it.

**)Ugh, why is it Iron and I always get hurt during these things, but Hero hasn't even gotten scratched?(**

**(Ooo, I can fix that.)**

Hmm, judging by the racket, Iron just slapped Hero, and she responded by slapping him through the wall. And then throwing a chair at him.

**)It was actually the table...no,wait, now she threw a chair too.(**

You know, Trebor is not going to give you a raise if you keep forcing him to take cash from your paychecks to fix what you break.

***Worth it.***

**(You are such a bitch, you know that?)**

***Maybe we oughta leave off here before we cost any more property damage.***

**(What's all this we stuff? You're the only one breaking things...yeah, like my arm just there. Ugh, I'm done with this. Later suckers.)**

**)Sayonara.(**

***I should go.***

Farewell.


	35. The Price of Loyalty

"Geez, I know I'm not the best driver, but this is the first time someone's actually shot at my car." I joked.

Garrus and Miranda were unable to reply since I'd put them in stasis and put up a barrier around myself so I didn't have to try dodging the gunfire...the downside being that I'd have to pay for the car, but I had credits to spare.

"And he puts it down for the perfect tenpoint landing." I quipped as I set us down, letting the others out of stasis.

"That's it- I don't care what happens, I am never getting in a vehicle where you are driving, ever again." Garrus gasped.

I activated the visor as I got out of the car, and Miranda activated hers as well as she stepped out. "At least you wore the armor instead of the catsuit." I commented to her as we walked towards the mercs.

The leader motioned for the others to lower their weapons.

"Since you're not firing yet, I trust you know who I am."

"Yeah, they said you'd be in the car. You're the bitch that kidnapped our boss's little girl."

"Kinda agree with you on the bitch part, but you're totally wrong on the other part." I said, trying to decide whether to try the psychomancer on him..._Moral hang ups aside- which aren't really apparently there for me, another sign I'm a nutso- I dunno that I could. Conrad wasn't exactly strongminded, and in this case I probably have reality warping conspiring against me._

"Kidnapped? This doesn't involve you, I suggest you take your men and go...and Bourne, I *appreciate* that you're helping me, but you make it rather difficult to do so."

"You think you've got it all lined up, huh? Captain Enyala's already moving in on the kid- Niket won't be helping you."

"He's the one who hired you?"

Miranda turned to look at me with disbelief. "Don't be daft Bourne-"

"He did." He confirmed. "He told us he didn't want anybody hurt, and nobody will be unless you do something stupid."

_Or unless I take the renegade option and...well, probably wouldn't snap his neck so much as crush his head with my robot hand or shoot him in the head, but same principle._

"And I'll give you fair warning- the captain's not as polite as I am. I've seen her tear people in half with her biotics, and she's getting paid a lot for this."

"So, when I do that, do I just think it was easy cause I'm that good?" I asked Miranda like I was unimpressed and didn't see him as a threat...which was somewhat true, actually.

"Captain Enyala ordered us to give you one chance to walk away, but this whole time we've been talking, my men have been lining up shots-" He stopped, and his eyes seemed to bulge from their sockets as he looked down at the knife sticking out of his chest.

"Too bad I had that lined up long before you opened your mouth." I kicked the blade deeper, knocking him onto his back, and kept my foot on his corpse as I fired the dreadshot at a crate above the merc's heads, destroying the lift holding it up and dropping it on their heads. The one Salarian that was left had his jaw drop before Garrus put a bullet through his head.

"I see your negotiation skills are as blunt as ever." Miranda said, putting one last bullet into the merc she'd gunned down before popping in a new clip.

I pulled the blade out of the leader's chest and put it back in my boot. "Niket betrayed you- he didn't know about your sister, so odds are he's a bit...misguided, wants to give her the chance at the the life you chose to run away from."

"He can't have betrayed…" She cut off at the look I gave her.

"Whether he did or not is immaterial- if the captain's already moving in, we need to get to the family before she does." I walked towards the elevator, picking up a dropped radio on the way and patching into their radio frequency. "I've already been shot at, so that just makes me want to kill your bastard *father* even more- but since that's not an option, I'll settle for screwing him over with this."

"I don't suppose I can get an explanation at some point?" Garrus asked.

"Kill mercs now, explanation later." I said as I hit the elevator and the doors shut. "Cargo processing yard is our next stop- need to cut through there. Lot's of movement, so time your shots."

"...I took down a gunship with a sniper rifle, I think I can deal with conveyer belts." Garrus said flatly.

"Yeah, well that same gunship also made your face even uglier, so I thought maybe I should point it out." I snarked back, grabbing the Mosquito from my back and readying it for explosive tripmines. "Opposition shouldn't be too bad though."

The doors opened, and I blinked as I took in the scene, then sighed. "Jesus H Christ, you'd think by now I'd have _fucking _**learned **not to tempt fate like that!"

"Our beef's with him. You two wanna leave, you can go ahead." Slade said, readying his gauntlet, several layers of defense already active.

"Or you can be stupid enough to try helping him." Isaac cackled, spinning his sword around next to him.

Jennifer was in front of them, chainsaw-sword in one hand, biotics flaring around her other.

"And if you fight with him, you'll share his fate."

"As much as I dislike him-" I Garrus in stasis with a wave of my hand, and Miranda with another.

"I get the feeling they wouldn't have listened if I told them to stay out of it either." I said, faking a calm I didn't feel.

"You barely survived-"

"Yeah yeah, you guys collectively have handed me my ass on a platter, I get it." I crossed my arms. "Can we at least postpone this until her sister is safe?" I gestured to Miranda with my head. "That whole deal is kinda messed; more so since us of all people oughta get a good sense of what that was like."

"...Uh, can one of you fill me in on that one?" Jennifer muttered.

"Genetically engineered, father was a bastard, wants her genetic twin back." Isaac muttered back.

I cocked my head to the side, then looked at the two behind me, and moved them into the elevator, hitting the button to send it back down.

"So funny of you to fake like you care about them." Slade laughed.

_She didn't know about Oriana...and they know about Iron and Hero...they're definitely keeping her locked out of the loop...but to what extent?_

"Last time you beat me, you caught me by surprise, and took away the biotics." I caught a flash of motion and instantly fired the dreadshot at it, destroying the restraint they sent flying towards me.

It also let Jennifer catch me off guard with a biotic charge, knocking me against the door, and pinning me there with an arm. "Maybe this time I'll cut out an eye...or I could just end it here."

"If you do that, who's going to stop the Collectors from kidnapping Jacob's son on Praggia?"

"Shepard can handle that much by herself."  
I let out a Nova, knocking her back, and teleported to a support beam above them. "Yeah, I just spliced together like four or five actual things into a big lie."

I jumped clear as Isaac's drone fired a rocket at me, using one lash to swing to another beam, and the other to grab an explosive barrel and hurl it at the pair. Isaac scrambled for cover while Slade just tanked it.

"So, either I'm not the only one with memory loss-" I jumped backwards off the pillar into a teleport as Jennifer charged at me, ending up behind Isaac and putting him in a chokehold. "Or you never played this series...or both."

Isaac activated his omni-tool, and I drove my knee into the fork of his legs, lifting him higher and stunning him further. "Any of you make a move and I can break his neck. And if you stall, the lack of oxygen will kill him for me."

"I could send this through both of you- wound him, kill you, patch him up later." Jennifer said, throwing her weapon in the air and holding biotically.

"You could, but my reflexes are enhanced. Even if yours are the same…50-50 shot I'd kill him before the blade hit, or that you'd kill him with that thing too. You wanna risk that?"

Her face was hidden behind the helmet, so I couldn't tell what she was thinking...but the blade stayed where it was.

"How do we know he wouldn't kill him anyway?" Slade pointed out.

"You don't. But are _you_ willing to sign his death warrant?" I locked eyes with her.

"...He's got the advantage." She lowered the weapon to the floor biotically. I brought it to me as I released Isaac, letting him gasp for breath, before grabbing him by the throat with the robotic arm, holding the weapon that'd given me said arm in my other hand. "This thing's got a handy little adjuster for how strong the grip is. So at any moment, it can be strong enough to crush metal. Imagine if you will what'd happen to his his neck." I glared at her. "You know, since you cut off my old hand, had to get a new one?"

"Guess we're at an impasse." Jennifer growled.

"Technically yes, but it's more that I've got the hostage and you don't. You could kill me, but that'd also cause the prothestic to tighten around his neck." I bluffed. "Meanwhile, if I kill him, you're both out for blood more so than before, and it's two on one. So really, it's-"

"Now who's stalling for time." Slade cut me off, looking at the elevator behind me.

"I just want some answers." I said, which was more honest than most of what I'd said thus far to them. "Memory loss is kinda a bitch."

Isaac's omni-tool flared around his arm, and I stabbed him through the hand with a knife from my boot without taking my eyes off the other two.

"So am I." Her biotics glowed dangerously.

I gave her a flat look. "You cut off my fucking arm; I don't need to be told you're a bitch. What I would like to be be told, Slade, is why back on Omega...I believe your exact quote was 'even with one third the power you're a force to be reckoned with'." I tightened my grip around Isaac's throat very slightly. "And he said something about thinking 'the other two were dead', when I had the red biotics, and mocked me by calling me-"

"Yeah, your perfect memory is annoying like that. What's your point?" Slade didn't seem worried, or else he was a good actor too.

"My point being, I think you knew about Iron and Hero from the beginning, and kept her out of the loop."

"You're still trying to sell that insane story?" Slade scoffed. "She told us about that- I knew you were crazy, but I didn't think you were a complete idiot."

"I'm not crazy!...I mean, I might be now for other reasons but I'm right about Iron and Hero having been in my head!...and there's also the PTSD, and that was before you cut my fucking arm off...Wow, is this how Iron always felt when he said something stupid and it just got stupider and stupider as he kept on talking?"

"...Yeah, he's clearly a source you can trust." Slade said sarcastically, and Jennifer nodded agreement, though neither made a move since I still had Isaac at my mercy.

"Did you get dropped on your head? Why would you ever trust _everything _someone tells you?" I blinked at the sudden odd flashback, but shook it away and continued. "I'm betting you weren't kept together the whole time."

"Of course not- they kept us separated."

"And how did you escape?" I looked at Slade. "I'm betting one of them, or both of them, got out before you did, or broke out of their cells and helped you from yours."

"He's stalling for the others to show up." Slade suddenly said. "If Zaeed or Arkangel get into position they can kill us both with-"

"Jennifer, who else on the team were snipers?" I cut him off, putting him in stasis...and then kicking myself for not trying that before.

"What do you mean?" She backed up slightly, now that the odds weren't so in her favor.

"What planet was Legion recruited on?"

"...Uh…"

I dropped Isaac and put him in stasis as well. "You never played through the games, did you?"

"Don't try to-"

"Answer the question, or I'll cut his goddamn head off." I said, moving so I was holding the chainsaw to Isaac's throat.

"...No. I watched Mike playing it, but I only played multiplayer with them every once in a while."

"So you don't know all the details...and they obviously do. If they're keeping those from you, what else could they be hiding do you think?"

I could tell she was hesitating.

"If this whole thing is some misunderstanding, or they tricked you into it...even if you do kill me, you'll never be sure it wasn't like that, will you." I took a step towards her, away from Isaac. "They could be just manipulating you."

"I guess you'd know- you've manipulated Raptor into trusting you."

"I saved her ass as many times as she's saved mine- if it's manipulation it's the benign kind." I shook my head. "No, I know the difference. I've manipulated plenty of enemies, so I know what is and what isn't. But I'm thinking you don't. And I don't think you could live with that uncertainty that you can't fully trust them."

"I've learned to live with plenty."

"No. You've learned to survive with it. Surviving, and living, those are two different things."

"Don't act like you know what we've been through since you turned on us!" She flared her biotics, and I set myself for a fight. A warp field suddenly hit her right in the head, dropping her barrier, and she flinched to the side, right before a bullet to the head would've taken her down for good.

"Damnit!" She teleported, and I was on my guard as I waited for her to come back. Slade suddenly warped out of my stasis field, and threw something at Isaac's to detonate it.

It knocked me off my feet, also sending the other triad member into Jennifer's arms as she teleported in and teleported out.

Slade mock saluted me before she grabbed him, and both were gone again.

"Bourne! Are you alright?" Garrus yelled at me as he and Miranda ran towards me.

I looked at the spot where Jennifer had been, clenching my fist._...I thought for a moment she might've been convinced...might've…_ I swore loudly in Prothean as I slammed my fist into the door of the elevator, and it went right through up to the elbow. "I should've killed Isaac when I had the chance!"

"Do you think they'll be back?" Garrus asked, still looking around the area.

"...I don't know...But after this...I think we need to talk." I locked eyes with him, as my left arm went to my upper right. "I found out a feoww!" I looked at my hand. "Holy crap, that _is _a strong grip." I dialed it down as I released it.. "Come on- good news is it looks like they cleared the mercs out again."

"And it looks like she left this behind." Miranda said, picking the chainsaw-blade from where it'd ended up on the floor.

I motioned for her to toss it to me, and caught it from the air with some help from my biotics. _This thing sliced off my hand...I should want to destroy it...but it could be useful..._I hit a button on the side and it collapsed to a thin cylinder about 7 inches long. I stuck it onto my belt. "Come on- let's go deal with this Enyala person...I hope they didn't kill her because _I_ really want to kill something now."

It only took us a couple minutes to get to the elevator, since they'd done us the favor of killing all the mercs for us.

"...Do you really think Niket could have-"

"Did he know about Oriana before now?"

"It was...rather recent."

"I'm going hold to my earlier statement." I set my jaw.

_*You know how I said helping with her sister would help you?*_

I forced myself not to look around the elevator, or react at all- my shoulders tensed for a minute, but I managed to make it look like I was stretching.

_*If you _could _save Niket as well...reality warping might work against you, but it's worth at least trying.*_

The doors opened before I could even decide to reply or not and she vanished.

Enyala took one look at us, and hefted her giant shotgun. "This should be fun."

I aimed the dreadshot at her, biotics flaring around that hand, as Garrus and Miranda took up position on either side of me.

The asari dock worker took one look and ran- I put up a barrier behind her as Enyala aimed at her back, earning me a glare from the captain.

"Niket." Miranda said flatly. "You sold me out."

_So, did she just come around to realizing it was true, or did the reality warping do something?...Oh, wait:I don't care right now._

"I'm just going to say this once. I am seriously pissed for various reasons, so you so do not want to fuck with me." My biotics blazed red. "This is the only chance you get to walk away."

"Niket doesn't get to walk away. Why Niket? You were my only friend- you helped me get away from my father!"

"Because you chose to, yes. If I'd known that you were stealing a baby-"

"She didn't steal her. She rescued her." I spoke before she could, slowly sliding Jennifer's chainblade into my right hand, finger on the button that would activate it.

"From a life of wealth and happiness? You weren't saving her, you were getting back at your father!"

"From what I know about him, she should have put a bullet in his head to get back at him- he got off easy." My fist tightened around the hilt at the thought of Sanctuary.

"Then why didn't she tell me?" He pointed a finger at her. "I deserved to know after helping her! I deserved to know she was with Cerberus! Instead I heard it from her father first."

"Come on Niket- let's just finish this bitch off and get out of here." Enyala moved her shotgun towards her.

"Take your best shot." Biotics flared around her off hand.

"I was just waiting for you to get dressed- or does Cerberus really let you whore around in that outfit?"

"This is her modest one- you oughta see what she wears _outside _of combat." I couldn't resist the dig. "But seriously-" I activated the chainsaw, and the hum it made was menacing, almost unholy; Either it had been changed since she'd used it on me, or I'd been too out of it to hear it before. "You want to take a girl away from the only family she's ever known, give her to a...thing who only cares about her as an investment." I aimed the dreadshot at Niket. "Let's just say I take that sorta thing..._personally_."

I suddenly sent a knife from my boot into Enyala's gun, then ripped it from her surprised hands into my own robotic one and squeezed, crushing it beyond use, then dropped it on the floor. "So tell me- since you and her father know, we need a new solution. Suggestions?"

"...He doesn't have any information on Oriana. I knew she had spy systems in her father's systems, so I kept it private. I'm the only one who knows."

"Which means you're the only loose end. This isn't how I wanted it to end Niket-" I moved my hand to block her shot, though the dreadshot was still kept so I could fire at either of them.

"Miranda, we both know you'd just regret doing that later."

"My father will still keep looking for Oriana."

"Yes, he will." I lowered the left hand and flicked the chainblade into it, gesturing towards him with the right. _No idea if this threat'll do anything, but it's worth a shot. And since she's missing her shotgun...still might want to put her in stasis. _"Which is why Niket is going to lie to him. He's going to tell him you got here first, and he doesn't know where Oriana is. If he does that... that'll be the end of it. I will not look for him, I will not pursue him." I pointed the end of the blade at him. "But if you don't, I will look for you, I _will_ find you, and **I will kill you**."

"I will! I will!"

Miranda nodded after a moment. "I never want to see you again Niket."

I put Enyala in stasis before she could even try to do something.

"Now then, I suggest you leave so you don't get blood all over you from what I'm about to do." I walked towards Enyala as he sprinted away.

It wasn't much of a surprise when she warped out of stasis, nor when she charged at me. I was slammed into the wall, but she'd slammed right into the chainblade, putting it through her stomach.

She gasped as she realized this, and I yanked it to the side, cutting through flesh, armor and bone as she dropped to the ground, already unconscious from blood loss, and sure to bleed out in minutes if not seconds.

"Let's wrap this up." I stepped over her towards the rest of the mercs, sending my S-17 into my free hand, blood spraying from the chain-blade. Some were smart enough to run. The rest...the new weapon got a workout.

* * *

Miranda looked at the ground as they got into the elevator, Bourne grabbing something from ontop of a crate nearby without even looking. "You know, you'd think they would've started running after I sliced their boss nearly in half. But instead only the last one runs, and shoots at us _as she runs?"_

"And she missed completely too." Garrus commented, popping a new heatsink into his gun before storing it on his back.

"Yeah, that too." He looked at Miranda. "So, what's the plan now?"

"...Cerberus can handle the relocation from here- without Niket." She shook her head. "How did you see his betrayal coming when I didn't?"

"Just because we have genemods doesn't make us perfect."

"That's the first thing you've said today I've agreed with." Garrus commented.

"But I let it get personal, and I screwed up." She turned to face him. "And letting Niket go- you should have just let me kill him, make sure he doesn't…"

"He'd be crossing you, _and _me. I get the feeling he has more self preservation instincts than that, and you can't pay a corpse." He uncrossed his arms. "And I could tell, you still care about him, regardless of what happened." She thought his eyes turned color behind the visor, but she was at the wrong angle to be sure.

"I guess I do...something my father used against me. It's always been like that- everything he did to or for me, it was all some long term plan, always an ulterior motive."

"...So why go to the Illusive Man? How is what he does different?" She turned back to look at him, and he was looking at the ground, a hand on his chin. It seemed like the comparison had only just come to him.

"He's looking out for all of humanity, not just himself."

"Then-" Bourne cut Garrus off with a wave of his hand. "Let's leave the arguing for later and make sure Oriana is safe."

As they got out of the elevator, they didn't see any sign of the Eclipse- not that she was surprised, considering the carnage Bourne had inflicted. The survivors would've warned anyone else to get as far away as possible.

"I'm guessing that's her over there?" Garrus nudged her, and she followed his gaze. She tried not to show any emotion on her face as she looked at her. She looked exactly like Miranda had at that age, minus a different haircut and fashion style.

"Yes...she's safe. With her family."

"Not all of her family." Bourne said, glancing at her.

"...We should go."

"Was that more subtle than I meant to be?" He sighed. "I mean that you should go talk to her, introduce yourself."

"The less she knows about me, the better."

"She already had mercs after her without knowing about you."

"...Was that supposed to convince me?"

"Yeah, I can kinda see now how that could go either way." He shook his head. "Look, all I'm saying is that if she knew she had a sister that loved her, how would that make things any worse? It would make you feel better, that much I'm sure of."

"It's not about my feelings, it's about what's best for her. She's already got a family, a life, and I would just complicate that."

"If you share the same DNA, that means she's probably as smart as you. She'd adjust pretty quickly, I wager. You don't have to tell her everything- I think mentioning you're a technically a terrorist is a bad conversation starter- but like I said, what's the harm in her knowing you exist?"

"...I…"

"Miranda, one thing my genemods gave me more of than you is stubbornness. If you can't think of any other good reasons to go over there, it'll shut me up. And more than that, I think we both know you want to." He patted her on the back. "Go on- I'll make sure Garrus doesn't drive off without you."

"...Okay." She slowly walked over, for once in her life not quite sure what she was going to do...though she knew she was either going to thank Bourne for this, or strangle him.

And though that was how she normally felt, for once she had the feeling it would be the former.

* * *

**(So, looks like there's only one question...how much is that because we forgot to remind them, and how much because it's a stupid idea to do question chapters?)**

**T117: I'm not sure, but I'm guessing it was Spike's idea.**

**)So, favorite moment in recent gaming history?(**

**T117: Three words. Sword. Of. Crota. It does not matter how many times I play that mission, it will never not be awesome...and I guess the Raid too.**

**)Great. So now what do we talk about?(**

**(Ooo, he has some bad news, can I deliver it, please please please?)**

**T117: No, you'll just turn it into some joke about me being lazy or something.**

**(...So? You'd probably make it too.)**

***Ugh, I'll do it. Starting Monday, chapters are going back to one a week for the foreseeable future.***

**T117...Yeah. This is chapter 35, I'm maybe a third of the way through 42. Caught up to my buffer. And I'd rather do one a week than not have a chapter at all one week because I couldn't get it done in time, or because something else came up.**

***You do know one chapter a week is still more than many other stories on the site, right?***

**T117: I know, but I've gotten used to a schedule. Makes it easier to motivate myself if there's a deadline, even if it's an arbitrary self-inflicted deadline.**

You wrote that last bit with Miranda onto this chapter just because you thought it was too short as it was. As in, directly before you started writing this A/N.

**T117: I'm still posting it on Thursday Night/Friday Morning, aren't I?**

...I am a product of your mind, and yet I have trouble following your logic.

**T117: Hey, Iron's from my brain too, and I don't understand where half of what he says comes from.**

**(Isn't it from a transfer of ions between nerve cells?)**

**)I don't think that's what meant.(**

**(Sure it was.)**

**T117: I'm just going to end this and post the chapter now.**

**(Later suckas.)**

***I should go.***

**)I'm outta here.(**

Farewell.

**T117: Sayonara.**


	36. Surrounded by Maniacs

"...Let me get this straight. Not only are there more people like you, but one of them is your _ex-girlfriend_?" Tali repeated in disbelief.

"Well...yeah, that's the story in a nutshell." I leaned against the wall next to my bed, looking at the three on the couch. "Though Slade and Isaac don't seem to have the same genetic enhancements as me and the latter isn't a biotic. Way more reliant on tech than I am too. Have to have something going for them or they'd have died by now, but…"

"But they're from the same program." Garrus clarified.

I looked around the cabin again. Liara and Raptor were on one part of the couch, Tali on the other end, and Garrus had taken the seat from near my desk.

"...I thought that at first, but I'm starting to suspect it wasn't. Similar, but not quite the same." I looked at my palm, and the scars crossing it. "Slade and Isaac knew slash know about Iron and Hero...but Jennifer didn't, and outright told me she thought I was lying when I gave her the abridged version. And she seems to remember more than they- or especially I- do about our previous lives. That implies...something, but I'm not sure exactly what."

"But they were scanned into a body like you were?" Tali asked, tinkering with her omni-tool as she examined the chain-blade I'd recovered.

"I think...no, with some of the newer things they've said, it seems more likely they were abducted and altered from how they started. But they knew my...brain donor? Which is probably why they were chosen- or they stumbled upon it somehow."

I tried to think of what else I could tell them that I hadn't already- aside from the obvious about being from the real world.

"But if they were...the other guy's friends...why are they so eager to kill you?" Garrus asked thoughtfully. "If they were after Iron, that'd make a lot more sense."

"Like I said, Jennifer didn't know about Iron- or if she ever did, she doesn't now. I don't think she's lying about that, but I don't know who she thinks she's actually fighting... Slade and Isaac, they seem to want me dead. Not Iron, not 'omega'... maybe the first guy and they don't see the difference...If they did stumble on it because of him...there's something else too." I said hesitantly.

_If they are back...or if they come back, and they find out later, it'll make things worse than if I head it off now...but I'm still not looking forward to this conversation at all._

"I can't tell what this is." Tali said before I could, apparently having not heard the last part. "It's pretty advanced tech- but it doesn't seem like what we've seen the collectors using. Materials aren't the same as the Collector beam weapon Shepard recovered either."

"Is there anything you can tell us about it?" She asked.

"Only that it's clearly made for a human or Asari hand- the way the grip is...I think. Mordin might be able to tell you more about who it would be best for, but as far as who constructed it…"

"Could it be from a previous cycle?" I wondered aloud. "Prothean?... or before?"

"Maybe...it also looks like it could cut through almost anything, even plate armor from a dreadnought."

I brought it to my hand and stuck it inside on of the pockets of my jacket. "Yeah, I'm aware of its cutting capabilities." I deadpanned.

"You said there was something else?" She asked, apparently having not heard about the arm.

For a long moment, I considered lying, saying it wasn't important, maybe telling her about the arm, or my real name..._they already have enough reasons to not trust me...and yet all of them are here. Raptor's my friend despite everything, and even if Garrus and Tali don't trust me, which they clearly don't...I do have supernatural luck... Here's hoping it holds...or that the Pyschomancer can erase memories and I could figure out how to do it._

"You remember back when Hephaestus upgraded my gauntlet tech? Before my eyes started changing color?"

"Changing color?" Tali asked suspiciously.

"Yeah. Now when I'm pissed, eyes and biotics go red, and...purple is apparently me thinking or concentrating. I thought he'd just triggered the 'redundant amps', the ones Hero or Iron used when they took over."

"But…?" Garrus and Tali were both eying me warily.

"...When we fought that...did we decide on a name for the giant bug thing? Maybe Pretorian?"

"Sure, whatever." Raptor waved a hand in dismissal. "Are you saying…"

"... When we were fighting it, I heard Iron's voice. But then I _saw _him too- like a ghost. And later, when I was deciding what to do about following Isaac, Hero showed up spouting advice, also transparent and actually visible."

There was a pungent silence.

"But, I thought you didn't see them before? Just hear them?" Garrus finally broke it.

"Yeah, exactly...My memory was affected by the drugs they pumped into me, so I didn't know until more recently." I lied. "But...a couple other times since then...same deal. They're like ghosts, and I can't...I don't know, can't 'sense' them in my mind like before. I hear it internally the same way, and even at the same rate; before, we could have a whole conversation in the time it takes one of you to reply outloud to something I said. When they show up now it's the same odd...time dilation effect thingee."

Another long silence.

"Let me guess- you're thinking the same thing I am. Either they're back, or I've gone completely schitzo."  
"...Kinda." Raptor admitted.

"Why are you telling us?" Tali asked, confused and surprised more than anything. "Seems like you'd normally be trying to hide it...though I guess you have hidden it till now if this was back before you got me."

"Perhaps, but I believe we all know how well hiding it worked out last time." I deadpanned. "I don't know if it is really them, but if it is…"

"And what if it is just you going mad? You could-" Raptor stopped suddenly, and her face got noticeably pale.

"What?"

"...I know that Iron at least was real, because he got into my head. Hero, I'm inclined to believe for similar reasons, even if there's not as much proof."

I opened my mouth to object, but then closed it. I didn't like it, but I somewhat saw where she was coming from.

"...I hate to say it, but you said you'd been having flashbacks, like memories are coming back?"

"Yeah? And?"

"... Those voices...could mean...that you might be…"

"What? Spit it out. I know it means I might be insane! Why do you think I'm-" I stopped, seeing her shaking her head, face still pale, hesitation coloring it. "If that's not it, what could…" it suddenly hit me like a ton of bricks, robbing me of my voice.

"Are you saying he could be indoctrinated?" Garrus voiced for me, though I was relieved to hear some skepticism in his voice.

"It's possible...unlikely, but possible."

"...Saren denied he was, and it's likely anyone else who was would likewise deny it." I said slowly. "But...I've spent the entirety of the past two years and before fighting against them. Trying to get others to believe in them."  
"Trying being the key word- it could be that you're meant to make people doubt their existence by seeming unhinged." Raptor seemed to hate herself even as she said it.

"But that argument could just as easily apply to anyone else here- or Anderson, or The Illusive Man, or…" _Okay, that second one kinda is a bad example since he actually is indoctrinated. _"...or even the Council, just since they so vehemently ignore any evidence."

"I didn't say I believed it. But...what if?"

"...Iron actually gave me a weird sorta pep talk that let me get pissed enough to just tear apart a thing that'd otherwise have wiped us out. And Hero...she actually saw something before I myself did, warned me...if they were the Reaper's voices, they'd be less...beneficial." I shook my head. "Subconscious projecting hallucinations, that makes more sense...but at the same time, they were completely...in character for them- details I could never have thought of myself. Things they'd know that I wouldn't have. I can't explain it better than that, but regardless it doesn't make any bloody sense...and if the reapers were in my head, they could've acted on some of the info I've collected. They missed their windows."

"So if they do come back-" Tali's hand was on her gut. "Then what?"

"...I don't know." I said finally. "I know it sounds stupid, but I feel like I'd be able to resist them if they did somehow resurface...the real question is how they could be back to begin with. Some sorta backup file in the amps is the only thing that'd make sense, but even then..." I scratched the back of my neck. "I mean, Sovereign kinda obliterated them when they went into Saren's head." I blinked at several odd images that flashed through my mind suddenly, and shook them away.

"If they come back-"

"I'm well aware of the consequences...though given your jumpy reaction to the flash of red just then, I suppose you are as well." I shook my head. "All I know is this- if they did come back, I would tell you four...or three, maybe." I looked at Liara in question. "What's the verdict on that? You coming on board the Normandy or is Raptor going to have to make the occasional booty call to Illium?"

They looked at each other, and I put up a barrier as Liara tossed a warp and Raptor a throw orb, causing an explosion that would've hurt if it'd connected.

"So was that a maybe then?"

"It's a we haven't decided yet, butt out."

I crossed my arms. "It actually is mission relevant whether or not we'd have another biotic onboard...though honestly, if she wasn't such a stabilizer for you, given that we already have Me, Jack, and Miranda and we're going for Samara and I guess Thane, it'd seem a bit redundant to have her as well...no offense."  
"I thought Jacob was a biotic too?" Garrus commented.

"Yeah, but he's a crap biotic- even without being compared to the best like Jack or I."

"You also neglected to point out my own biotics." Raptor glowered at me.

"...Wait, what?" Tali and Liara asked at once.

"Yeah, Lazarus put in eezo nodes along with the cybernetics, so she's a biotic now...though a lot of practice is needed before you're really good with them...also, how did you not tell your girlfriend that already?" I asked her. "Or *show* her, for that matter."

"I had other things on my mind. Now can we stop talking about our sex life please and get back to the important part?"

"Just sayin'...there's nothing we can really do about Iron/Hero though. If they're hallucinations, medication isn't going to work. And I don't know that I want to rehash all this with Chambers. And if they're really back...there's nothing I can do about it, short of eating a bullet. And judging by the reactions when I make other people do that, I'm guessing bullets aren't tasty **or **good for your health."

"..." "..." "..." "..."

"Anyway, Liara, you have any idea where we'd be able to find Thane and/or Samara?"

"...Yes, Raptor told me you were looking for them- Thane arrived a few days ago, and my sources tell me he may be targeting a corporate executive: Nasana Dantius. He contacted an asari named Serina. If you go to her office in the Corporate Transfer area, she may be able to tell you more."

"You remembered all that off the top of your head?" Shepard asked.

She smiled. "I'm a very good information broker Raptor- even if my memory isn't as good as Lt. Bourne's."

"Yes, haha, you called me by my rank, very funny. What about the Justicar?"

"She registered with tracking officer Dara when she arrived- I suggest you talk to her down in the transportation hub."

"Probably not wise to split up with the trio on the loose." Garrus commented.

"Isaac could be down for a while since he took a biotic explosion point blank, but the other two still make it a valid point." I agreed. "And they've known where we've been up until now…" I stopped, eyes going purple as I thought. _Wait- Jennifer obviously wouldn't know where to go unless the others told her, or she remembered from what little she got from watching 'Mike' play. And I get the sense she was telling the truth about not having played the series herself. So the question is if Slade and Isaac both know, or if it's just one of them. And if that one were Isaac...hell, if I took out both of them Jennifer would be almost no longer a threat...except she'd probably be more out for blood. Wouldn't know where to look, but she could just wait at the Citadel or something; she has to know that much from living in this reality, if she didn't already know from the games._

"You know Shepard, you really pull off the purple eyes better than he does." Tali commented.

I rolled them as they went back to blue. "Alright then- get outta here so I can get back into my armor."

"Why do you still have the one glove on though?" Tali asked, pointing at my left hand.

Liara nodded agreement.

"You know that chainsaw blade I took from Jennifer? Well, she used it on Horizon to cut my arm off, and the 'glove' is actually a prosthetic." I stated as neutrally as I could- trying not to make them feel like assholes but also trying to not sound like an asshole myself by making them feel guilty.

"...Oh." Tali said in a very quiet voice.

"What do you think for the team?" I asked Raptor casually, trying to change the subject without making it obvious.

"Depends on what we do first?"

"Hmm...Samara first? Biotics are likely to come into play more often than another sniper, and you and Garrus and Zaeed already have that covered."

"Weren't you the one just calling my girlfriend redundant with all the other biotics?"

"Exactly. She only has biotics. He has biotics and is a sniper- so he's...wait, does that make him less redundant or more redundant?"

"Uh...that's actually…let's just flip a coin."

* * *

"Seryna?" Shepard asked as they approached the Asari.

Bourne stood to her side, with Garrus and Jack behind him. They'd decided the combo of her and 'archangel's sniping, the other two's skill at close range, and their overall midrange skill, it was an almost ideal strategy- or some BS like that, Jack didn't really care.

She was almost twitching with anticipation of an actual fight- she'd been stuck shooting at dummies since Horizon.

"Who wants to know?"

"Uh, we do. That's why we just asked." Bourne responded. "We're looking for Thane Krios, and heard you might be able to point us his direction."

She digested that for a moment. "Tana, cover for me." She said as she stood up and waved them to a more deserted area of the bay.

"Yeah, I know who Thane Krios is. I might've passed him some information, but I didn't hire him…what do you want to know?"

"We heard he's after Nassana Dantius- and that you used to work for her."

"Why does that name sound familiar?" Garrus muttered.

"Because she hired us to kill her sister." Bourne answered, the first time he'd spoken since they left the ship.

"I thought that was just a rumor. Well, you know what she's capable of then- yeah, I used to work security for her until I found about little things like that."

"Kill her sister?" Jack whispered to the Turian..

"Yeah- except she wasn't as upfront about it. She told us the slavers kidnapped her sister, so we killed the slavers...then we found out one of her sisters was a slaver."

"Amazed she's still walking around- I'd have torn her head off if she pulled something like that on me."

"Believe me, I _considered _it." Bourne said without turning around.

"Yeah, he has enhanced hearing." Garrus half-glared at him.

He shrugged and walked back towards them as Shepard kept talking with the Asari- sounded like she was working out the details of something or something.

"You know, I wonder if Lawson has enhanced hearing?" He suddenly said, cocking his head to the side as he considered it.

"Who cares?" Jack said dismissively.

Shepard turned around before he could reply. "Well, sounds like we've got a couple hours to kill."

"And she means killing time- not people." Bourne commented to Jack with a smirk.

"We could always do both."

"Tell you what- if someone's really, _really _annoying and there's no cameras around-" He ducked as Shepard threw a punch at him from behind. "-Then you can take it up with her."

"We want to just head back to the ship?" Garrus asked.

"No, I don't want to deal with the airlock and getting my armor back on and back off."

"You wouldn't mind losing the armor if it involved Liara I bet."

"No Jason, I would not. But seeing as we have a mission, I have a problem timewise with doing that you wouldn't."

"...Meaning?"

"Since my liasons aren't as short as yours-"

"Short as in time, or what he's offering the ladies?" Jack laughed.

"What, you think she was talking about just one?" Garrus chuckled.

"Even if either of those things were true, and they aren't-" He raised his hand, a biotic field around it. "Let's just say Liara's going to be very pleased if/when you get better control over your biotics...or do you already know what I'm talking about?"

"None of your business." She said, face going bright red.

"You ever been on the receiving end though?" Jack smirked at him. "Cause if both people can-"

"Will you please _not _encourage him?" Raptor cut her off.

"Yeah, to be honest between the fact the biotics in the robot arm are kinda...not what I'm used to, and the fact that it's a robotic arm to begin with, not exactly the sexiest thing in the world..."

"Oh, and your face is?"

Shepard just facepalmed and walked so she was several feet ahead of them where she wouldn't hear. Garrus followed after a moment.

"She always this much of a prude?" Jack muttered in undertone.

"...Kinda." Bourne shrugged. "Then again, you're kinda biased in the other direction."

"The fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"You do remember what you were wearing when we met, right?"

"You have the cheerleader walking around in spandex all day showing off everything, and you're giving me crap for my outfit?"

"I give both of you crap about them." He chuckled.

"Yeah, there's a difference though. Her suit makes her rack and ass look way bigger-..." She stopped short.

"What, you were keeping your breasts strapped down to try to make them look smaller?"

She shot him a surprised look.

"Memory like mine you notice odd things- I'm betting you loosened them slightly once you were on the Normandy?"

"...Yeah." She crossed her arms, trying not to think about why she'd started doing it.

"...Still doesn't explain why you couldn't wear a shirt over them or something."

She glared at him. "None of your fucking business."

"Fair enough...what about the earing amp thing though? Did you just find that on the way out or…?"

"They thought it was just a translator, so they weren't smart enough to take it...wouldn't have done much good anyway with the anti-biotic shit they had on me."  
"What, were they worried about you getting an infection or something?"

"...That is literally the stupidest fucking thing I've ever heard."

"Well, hanging around us, I'm sure it'll be topped sooner or later." He chuckled.

"Around 'us' or just you?"

"Either or." He shrugged.

* * *

"Yeah, I thought you were kidding earlier-" Jack leaned over to whisper to me. "But I think this the most bizarre thing I've ever seen, even if it isn't quite the stupidest."

I had to nod as we watched a krogan recite poetry in disbelief, while Garrus and Raptor were dealing with the vendor he was trying to woo.

I tried not to grimace at the sudden thought that he'd be dead within the next 8 months or so. _Especially since there's nothing I can do about it- no more than I could save Thane or Mordin._

"You know- it looks like they're pretty distracted... " Jack said with a smile that could only be described as devilish. "We could probably ditch them."

"Yeah, sounds like a plan- just let me update my will real quick." I said sarcastically.

"What, a tough guy like you is scared of her-"

"Not so much scared as terrified of her punches beyond all capacity for rational thought." I pointed to my left arm "You see this dent in the metal here- that's from her fist. And she was. Holding_. _**Back**... if she ever figures a biotic punch, I'm going to have to keep a barrier up 24-7."

"...Now that might be the most pathetic thing I've ever heard."

"Yeah, I know." I sighed. "But even if we snuck off- what is there to even do?" I suddenly smiled as a thought hit me. "Unless you wanna hit up a tattoo parlor and pay up for losing that drinking bet."

"...Yeah, there's no fucking way I'm getting your name tattooed on the bottom of my foot."

I chuckled. "Yeah, bet was kinda rigged anyway so it's fair enough if you don't."

"Rigged how? Like you were just drinking water or some shit?" She asked both angrily and curiously.

"Part of the gene mods means it's basically impossible for me to get drunk even when I drink enough to kill a normal person..or like, ten normal people."

"...That sounds like that blows."

"Big time." I sighed, and then looked over at where Raptor and Garrus were looking at prices for a sniper rifle.

"Could hit up the tattoo parlor though- know there's one thing I need to finish getting inked."

"...I kinda don't want to know, but at the same time I gotta ask where you possibly have left that isn't tattooed already?"

"The design isn't complete. Like just the outlines without the colors...and there's another couple that need to be redone."

_...it would be kinda nice to unwind and relax for five minutes...and there's no way the trio would expect me there- they've been waiting for us on missions, not actively seeking us out...no guarantee they'd even still be on the planet after what just happened...and with my pain tolerance it wouldn't really impact the mission…  
_ "You know of any places nearby?"

She brought up her omni-tool. "Yeah- within walking distance of here."

"...Screw it, let's go...but if she does notice and get pissed, I'm going to say you snuck off and I was just tracking you down."

"Can't say that if you get inked too."

"Yeah, I mean if she catches us quickly...can't decide which idea to use though...probably just get both."

"What did you have in mind?" She asked as she pulled up a map and started walking.. "Let me guess- an Omega? A knife?"

"Meh, maybe on the chest where there's that scar...I was thinking either 'Seid ihr das Essen? Nein, wir sind der Jäger!' or 'ليس هناك ما هو صحيح، فكل شيء مباح'."

"...What is, that, Turian?"

"First is german, second is arabic." He shrugged. "Kinda hard to explain- they're both references to a 21st century anime and videogame, respectively."

"Do you actually know what they mean? I'm not going to get inked with some rookie who gets some symbol that looks cool but ends up meaning 'varrenfucker'."

"I'm sure...well, they aren't actually quite perfect translations, but it's authentic to what it was in the game and anime, so I'd rather get that version anyway."

"So you're telling me you're a nerd on top of the ugly face? No wonder you haven't gotten any in two years."

"_You_ wanna talk about looks with that haircut?"

"You've got the same damn thing going on!"

"Except my hair is red, and I'm a guy." I smirked. "And with the clothing- seriously- not much room for you to talk about fashion sense."

"You're the one that got me _this _outfit for missions, dumbass. And the pants, and the boots, and the visor."

"...Okay, I'll be honest. I don't know _how _I walked into that."

"Stick to making fun of the cheerleader."

"...Meh, I did help her out with that other thing, so she kinda owes me a few bad jokes anyway." I shrugged. "But on the other hand, I've been making fun of her for the past two years- the rest of you offer a whole new realm of mockery."

"You also gave me this shotgun." She tapped it. "And the back of your head doesn't have much armor."

"Yeah, but if you fire it at me, it'll trigger a little present I put in there and not only disable the gun, but also put enough electricity in you to fry you."

"...you really did that?"

"Nah, it just shuts the gun down. No sense killing you if it's just an accident or friendly fire...and if you're doing it on purpose, I'd rather take you down personally." I called a knife into hand and spun it around my fingers before putting it back on my belt.

"...Will it do that if I aim it at Lawson?"

"Due to hardware restrictions, yes. The chips in the guns will stop the user from firing at anyone on the Normandy team...what? It's not just for you- I did that to _all _the guns when Taylor wasn't around. You'll be glad if someone takes the gun and tries to fire at you."

"Except you, because you put in some sorta override?"

"Why would I? I've already got my own guns and biotics, and the knives, and the dreadshot-"

"You know that's the dumbest fucking name for anything ever, right?"

"Well what the hell else am I supposed to call it? The Barrier Blaster? Nova Canon? Some other third thing?"

She just shook her head and kept walking. "Come on genius- tattoo place is only a block from here."

Almost on cue, my omni-tool started beeping, and I pulled it up to see a message from Shepard that made the blood drain from my face.

"Okay, so we're going with the plan where we say you snuck off and I caught you, since I don't want what she just described to happen to me."

"What could be so-" I showed her the message. "...Damn, she could teach me a thing or three."

"Less talk, more walk back before she finds a way to do this despite it being physically impossible."

* * *

**(So, does anyone else have any ideas for what to talk about? I think we're starting to scrape the bottom of the barrel at this point.)**

**T117: Did you make that joke just because I invited Spike in for this one?**

**(Can't prove that.)**

**~I bet we can!~**

**)Yeah, I do have the pyschomancer again by now in the story. Ergo...or we could just hurt you a lot until you admit it.(**

**S7: Ah, but you can't hurt me with it. And now I write so that Layla has immunity to your dominate power.**

**T117: You know, there's a whole arguement I could make against that, but really I don't care for the A/N verse like I would for the crossover verse, so I'm not going to bother.**

***Is it really that, or can you just not think of anything?***

**T117: Hey, it's not my fault he made her so damn OP compared to you guys.**

**S7: She is a step below digital god. I made her that way because she already defeated her crucible.**

**(You do realize you're only written up to chapter 43, right Trebor? There's a lot you could do to even the field...that, or next time the stupid crossover verse is actually a balance of digital and reality instead of him just taking it over with digitalism and you not stopping him.)**

**T117: You realize that I can also use those chapters to bring you back, and therefore set you up for even more torture than last time, right?**

**)I can think of a few things.(**

***So can I.***

**~Well, who is gonna see Big Hero 6?~**

**T117: You know that it's actually some marvel thing? I'm definitely wanting to see it, even if it's not part of the MCU proper.**

**S7: That does look interesting. And who doesn't love robots?**

**(I love killing robots, does that count?)**

**~You would get along with HK47.~**

**(...Eh, yeah, probably.)**

**S7: Didn't we already have a robot discussion.**

**T117: I don't know, maybe...probably.**

**S7: Well, we should stop here before this all starts again.**

**T117: Yeah, not a terrible idea.**

**(What? Already? But I've barely even insulted him or Layla for being **Crazy metal has been logged off for his own safety...and because hearing him insult everyone constantly is very annoying.

**S7: You know, I really don't miss that. 1473I2.**

**T117: Sayonara.**


	37. Tower of Terror?

"I can't believe you tried sneaking off to get a _tattoo_."

"Hey, I was going after _her_...Granted, she talked me into getting one myself, but that was after you called."

She glared at both of them, and it actually made Jack a little uncomfortable.

"Do I even need to-"

"Raptor, I'm a grown man for crying out loud; I don't need you babysitting me 24-7." He crossed his arms, but at the angle Jack was at, she could see his eyes were still blue, even if he was acting mad. "I understand your concerns- blah blah arm, the trio still around- but even if we had been attacked and you'd actually been there, they could've just knocked out all three of you like back on Korlus."

"...At least tell me he's not thinking of something _stupid _for a tattoo?" She said, turning to Jack.

"Assuming he actually knew what those things meant, not really."

"What those- tell me you didn't want it in a language you don't know." She said exasperatedly to him.

"Okay, I won't tell you then." He grinned. "Come on- we've got about ten minutes before Seryna told us to meet her."

"You wanna get one of you Omega too?"

"There's already that scar on my chest. Might get that done in red because...reasons." He shrugged as they got to the aircar.

It was a short drive, and Jack ignored what the asari was saying to Shepard as she looked at all the lights and buildings. If she timed it right, she could have used her biotics to jump from the tower to another building below, and a few more from there, she could ditch the Spectres easily.

But if she did that she'd lose access to Cerberus's files, and she hadn't found anything really big yet...she looked back at the tower, figuring she could always ditch them later.

"Don't linger too long- they'll be here to greet you soon enough." The asari warned as they got out of the car- Bourne was already far ahead of the rest, apparently taking her at face value. "Looks like night workers over…" He stopped as mechs stepped into view, opening fire on the workers before turning to face them.

"Four of them-" Shepard cut herself off as biotics flared crimson around him.

"Dibs." He said flatly, flicking his wrist and somehow ending up with a sword thing in his hands as he smashed through the glass and slammed into a mech, turning it into scrap metal before turning to the other and slicing it clean in half. The two dog-like mechs turned around to look at him, and he just blasted them both with his 'dreadshot.'

"Should've killed that bitch when we had the chance." He said, biotics fading to blue, though a flare of red still appeared every once in a while. "Maybe if we're lucky, we can beat Thane to her."

He walked towards the door nearby without another word, the sword disappearing somehow.

As they got close, Jack heard what sounded like raspy breathing.

"Take it easy- the medigel'll help, but you still need proper medical attention." He said to the salarian that was there, somehow still alive despite being shot at least a half dozen places Jack could see.

"What happened?" Shepard asked, kneeling next to Bourne.

"We're just night workers...Nasana sent the mechs after us...wanted us out of the way, we weren't fast enough-"

"Are there more of you?" Bourne interrupted.

"Yes. I guess she decided we're expendable...I don't know where they'd be, but she would."

"If they'll still alive, I'll do what I can to keep them that way...and make sure Nassana does _not _stay alive." He stepped through the door and motioned for the others to follow him, a gun in either hand.

"You alright?" Shepard asked him.

He deactivated his visor and looked back at them in answer- his eyes were bright crimson. "Killing your own innocent workers...we've both seen some messed up things, but that seems _really _stab-worthy to me."

"Normally the eyes would make me disagree with you, but in this case knock yourself out." Garrus said, Shepard nodding agreement.

Jack shrugged. "Whatever floats your boat."

There were a pair of mercs with their backs to them as they walked through the next door "You know- they're lucky I'm too nice a guy to _shoot _someone in the back." He commented as he tossed his pistol in the air. A knife was sticking out of each of their skulls by the time he caught the gun again and opened fire on the rest, also giving the others time to get to cover before he teleported to cover himself.

"Jack- I'll toss out some warp fields, set them off with shockwaves."

She nodded at him, and almost in unison they stood from behind cover, launching their attacks; his were faster and made them stumble before her shockwaves sent them flying, as others dropped like flies.

"Vanguard's making a run for it. You wanna get that Bourne or-" He was a red blur that slammed into the merc, and suddenly the merc was in several pieces.

"You know, for a hand-me-down from the murderous bitch that cut off my arm- I kinda like this thing." He said, looking at the sword in his hand- which as Jack looked closer looked more like a chainsaw.

"Wait, that's the thing that cut off your arm, and you're using it now?" She asked him as they caught up with him.

"Let me put it this way- you're far from the craziest person on board the Normandy." Garrus deadpanned as they moved to the next room and ducked behind cover as more mechs walked in.

"I wonder if I could create some sorta holster for this thing in the arm?" Bourne mused as he stored it on his belt and pulled out his plasma shotgun "Like I can just flick my wrist and have it in my hand? Be kinda ironic, wouldn't it?"

"In a somewhat psychotic way, yeah." Garrus deadpanned before blowing a pair of mechs away with a concussive shot.

"Yeah, that's a little much even for me." Jack agreed, lifting a group into the air and watching them explode as Bourne snapped his fingers.

"Be cool though." He shrugged as he fired a charged blast at a merc before ducking down to vent the gun. "Or maybe I should rig something up for the S-17...or both."

"What, the giant biotic cannon isn't enough?"

"There's no kill like overkill." He grinned before charging ahead. They distantly heard gunfire and screaming from up ahead.

"I don't know if I'm more worried by his attitude or the red biotics." Garrus commented, glancing at Shepard.

"Killing civilians always has kinda been one of his pet peeves." She responded.

"And slicing them apart with a chainsaw is _normal _for _him?_"

Jack looked between them, clearly missing something. Or else they were keeping something from her.

"Okay- I think that's all of them!" He called back. "Oh wait, there's one more."

There was a loud blood curdling scream that followed as they ran after him.

Jack stopped short at the sight of the mercs- most of them had pools of blood around their corpses, most with their heads removed or otherwise sliced apart, though there were a few that had just been shot.

"Way to save some for the rest of us." Jack griped.

He flicked his wrist and stored the sword thing on his belt. "If you spend enough time around us you'll learn that no matter who we kill, or what the quantity is, there's _always _some other dumbass that thinks shooting at us is a good idea."

Both the other two sighed. "Yep." "Every time."

* * *

I pulled my throwing knives out of the last corpse in the area as Raptor and Garrus came back from a closet some workers had been hiding in- I'd sent them over there by telling them I saw something on motion and thermals.

"What're the odds there's going to be some baddies in the elevator?" I asked rhetorically, half wishing I'd grabbed my Mosquito or at least Wasp for this mission.

"Baddies as in mercs, or the trio?"

My answer was to grab my S-17 and aim the dreadshot at the door as well. "Either or." I tapped my visor, making a note to set up some sorta link with the left hand so I didn't need the buttons. "Thermals are showing...good, looks like it's just a Krogan and four...salarians I think."

"Can I just say how fucked up you guys are that you can say 'just' a krogan?" Jack commented.

"Only if you want to sound completely redundant." I responded as the doors opened, and I opened fire on the engineers. They spawned combat drones to block my shots as they rolled to cover. "I'll get the Krogan, you guys get the others."

"Was there ever any doubt?"

I ignored that as I fired the S-17 several times, dropping his barrier all but instantly. Biotics suddenly glowed around him, and I teleported before he would've charged me into a pulp. He instead hit a pillar hard enough that he went right through it, and turned to me.

I stored the gun and called my boot knives into hand. "What's the matter? Scared I'll get bored and run away if you give me your all?"

He ran towards me, and I charged at him in response. It barely knocked him off balance, but it stopped him cold, and I stabbed at his eyes. One blade was a direct hit, while he was able to turn from the other that it skidded off his brow plate and simply left a gash on his cheek. He lashed out blindly with his fist and shotgun, but I managed to duck under both. _Right hand was right on target, left hand isn't as precise yet...good to know now rather than later I guess. _I hit him with the hardest biotic punch I could manage right in the gut, which knocked him off balance. The dreadshot had a lot more power, and knocked him on his back. I jumped on top of him, switching the remaining blade from my left hand to my right, and sticking it at the front of his brow plate. He froze in horror, and I tore it off with a single motion before punching through his skull with my robotic arm.

"For the record- I actually was scared of you being pathetic."

I focused on the biotics in my left arm as well as I could, and dropped a flare in the skull before pulling the hand out and rolling away as his head turned into a geyser of blood, sending my knife flying...right into one of the engineers' heads.

"...Okay, I'm just going to admit that was totally luck." I said as we all looked at the corpse in disbelief. "And also, totally fucking awesome."

"Remind me to never play cards against you." Jack commented as I retrieved the blade. "You gotta show me how you made his head blow up like that though."

"Teach me how to do warp ammo and it's a deal." I responded as we all stepped into the elevator.

"How are you going to do that when you couldn't even figure out how to teach me how to throw something properly?" Raptor commented.

"She actually knows what she's doing to start with." I shrugged. "It's really not that complicated- just compress a bunch of biotic energy into a ball, squeeze tight, lob it at them and watch the fireworks...downside is you can't use it too often- takes like ten times as long to recharge from as, for instance, Warp."

"That's what guns are for." All three of them replied at once.

"Or knives, yeah, but biotics are just cooler."

"I'll take your word for it." Garrus said dryly. "Since I'm the only one in the elevator without them."

"You're also the only one in the elevator that's not human." Raptor chuckled.

"Technically speaking, you're a zombie slash cyborg, and I'm at least a cyborg." I waved my hand pointedly. "Not to mention all the other cybernetics."

"Your face does make a good argument for you not being human."

"Okay, you know at first it was annoying, then it kinda was funny once I got used to the face, but at this point it's back to you just flogging a dead horse...I mean, make fun of the robotic arm or something, that'd at least be new. Or make fun of _Garrus' _face. Or just make fun of Miranda's outfit- no shortage of jokes there."

"Or we could make fun of your prowess with sniper rifles." Garrus said.

"I know how to use one just fine as a club." I said, pulling his off his back into my hand pointedly.

He snatched it back as the elevator doors opened, revealing a single merc with his back to us.

"I don't know where he is...no, not yet. Don't worry about it, I'll go down there myself."

"Turn around, very slowly."

He glanced back at Shepard's voice and saw all four of us with pistols trained on him.

"Damnit."

"It's a very long way down through that window." I said, storing the gun as I walked closer. "So either you can say 'aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa- splat!', or you can say where the assassin is."

"If I knew where he was, I wouldn't be wasting time talking to you. I'd be going after him right now."

"Like you gunned down the night workers?" My eyes blazed red behind the visor.

He crossed his arms. "I've got nothing more to say to you."

_Now, I could push him- or more likely 'this is sparta biotic kick' him- out the window, but that's kinda…Well, with the night workers he'd...Did I have Hero do that? I had her do some of the other renegade interupts in this game where it was just stupid to not, like the 'you're working too hard' and 'you talk too much' and that thing in Miranda's mission, but I don't know about...meh, fuck it._

"If you-" He was cut off as I kicked him in the face, biotically augmenting it and shattering the glass behind him as he flew through it.

"Good. Conversation was getting boring anyway." _Should I have just gone with the 'how about goodbye' instead?...Ugh, I couldn't even pull it off in my head just then, no way I'd have managed outloud._

"Damn, I really could take notes from you Bourne." Jack laughed.

"Well then the first thing to do is to hit yourself with a sledgehammer a few times, kill off some braincells." Garrus said, making all three laugh.

"I want to protest that, but with how many times Raptor's slapped me, it's entirely possible I have lost a few brain cells...Sledgehammer wouldn't be near enough though unless maybe you were having Grunt swing it at your head. Then it would be _mostly _accurate simulation."

"Mostly?"

"It wouldn't have the creepy purple eyes or the feeling of sheer terror I get when said eyes glare at me like you're doing right now...I'm going to shut up and go shoot some mercs now."

"Yeah, that's what I thought."

I walked into the next room, and paused as I saw it was empty. No corpses though. I instantly had eyes on my motion tracker and back camera, but no sign of any of the trio.

I slowly moved forward, on edge but at the same time not getting the same vibe I had on Korlus or Omega. "There should be a lot more resistance in here." I muttered over the comm.

"I hate that we're actually complaining about that." Raptor muttered back.

I glanced at the closet nearby, which still looked secure. I brought up thermals- a floating gun, and two spots barely warmer than the air. _Definitely Salarians...might be the trio with cloaking tech, but if it was why would they hide in there? And last time they were waiting right in the center. Worried about getting sniped?_

I moved over to the closet, omni-tool flaring around my right hand, making me make a mental note to buy another omni-tool and ask Tali and maybe Mordin for help modifying it for the prosthetic.

I quickly got the closet open, revealing a terrified looking Salarian aiming a gun at me. "Don't come any closer!"

"Pal, don't do something stupid." I half sighed.

"I don't want to hurt you, but I-" I ripped the gun from his hand into mine and crushed it.

"Probably good- I sorta doubt you _could _hurt me."

He responded by passing out, and I caught him biotically so he didn't slam his head into the ground.

"Telon!" The other ran to his side.

"I really hope _you're _not going to point a gun at me." I commented as the others caught up to me, and I kept an eye on the rear-camera so we wouldn't be caught off guard.

"He's my brother- I just want to make sure he's alright...are you the ones who, shot the merc?"  
I glanced at the corpse a moment. "Not that one, no." _Though come to think of it, I haven't really shot that many anyway. Mostly it's been biotics or the...I need a name for that thing. Chainblade? Not perfect, but it's on the right track at least._

"What happened?" Raptor asked.

"I'm...I'm not really sure. We were just finishing our shift, when he came at us shouting at us to move. We panicked, and he shouted more- something about a maniac coming this way. He waved his gun at us, then his head just exploded."

"Sniper?" I glanced at the others.

"Perfect headshot with not collateral damage- it'd have to be." Garrus answered.

"Lower levels should be clear- I suggest you head that way so you don't get caught in the crossfire."  
They were quick to be on their way.

"So there was at least one merc here before...what happened to the others?" Jack addressed the elephant in the room.

I glanced over at the comm terminal nearby, which was active in the game, and fiddled with it a moment. _Offline...what gives?_

"Well?" Raptor asked me quietly. "Do we risk going after Thane?"  
"...This doesn't feel like the Trio." I replied hesitantly.

"Maybe you just freaked them the fuck out slicing them apart with a chainsaw." Jack shrugged.

"...That makes way too much sense for our line of work." Raptor and I said at the same time.

"It'd make sense though." Garrus shrugged. "Eclipse isn't known for high standards- they were willing to kidnap teenagers or gun down civilians. I doubt they'd stick around to deal with you, no matter how much she tried paying them."

"Or they retreated and regrouped to fortify around Nassana." Raptor said thoughtfully. "Either way we need to pick up the pace. We don't want them to gun Thane down before we get to him, but if he gets to Nassana first he'll kill her and leave."

"Agreed." I headed up towards the bridge, unable to shake an uneasy feeling. It wasn't of the Trio though, or even Iron.

_I'll be looking at a guy a voice in my head slept with who'll die no matter what I do...this is going to be a really,_ really _awkward conversation._

* * *

***Anyone says anything, I will break their jaw. Anyone **_**types **_**anything, Iron, I'll break your hands.***

Hm, He is currently deleting the paragraph he was in the middle of typing.

**)Well, statistically he has to do **_**something **_**not completely stupid.(**

**T117: Unless he's just typing a new paragraph that'll be worse than the old one. And if that is the case, let me remind anyone of the new ground rule where you can beat the hell out of each other, but if you break my furniture, computers, walls, or anything else that is within a ten-block radius of this house, I am going to enact protocol 48 in this story.**

**(Protocol 48?)**

**)Well, yeah, if he does do something that evil, he doesn't want the fans knowing ahead of time that'll happen.(**

**(Wait, is that he **I will censor that for you Iron. **Or is that 36?)**

**)No, that's 37. 36 got tossed out because he couldn't think of a good enough reason there'd be a steamroller lying around, and he just hasn't closed the gap yet.(**

***Wait, wait, I thought 89 was the steamroller?***

**(Just how many of these things has he thought up?)**

**T117: 102 in total, but only 56 would apply to Bourne and Hero. Most of them are meant for you.**

**(...)**

**)Wait, you mean you have 56 ways left to torture me in this story? After cutting my arm off?(**

**T117: I didn't say I'd do them!...also, 56 is just how many I've come up with so far...kidding, kidding, geez.**

***Seriously, put down the chair Jason.***

**)...Fine.(**

**T117: Also, who said I was only talking about **_**this **_**story? **

**)...Okay, Hero, Iron, be honest with me. Am **_**I**_ **this much of a jackass?(**

***Sometimes.* (Yeah, totally.) **

**)...You know, in hindsight you guys are kinda biased.(**

**(Because I hate you and she's too paragon and honest to put up with your BS when you are?)**

**)Yeah.(**

**T117: Well, I think that's a good time to wrap this up. See you next monday!**

**)Is anyone else scared right now?(**

**(Yep.) *A little.***

**T117: Sayonara!**


	38. The Voice in my Head Dated You

_Okay, there wasn't a single bloody enemy on the bridge or anywhere else between the empty room and in here...not a good sign._

"Looks like a panic room." Garrus said, bringing up his omni-tool and working on getting it open.

"Nassana's got to be in there." Raptor said.

"I'm more worried about who else could be in there." I admitted. "I know we killed plenty of Eclipse when we were dealing with Miranda's- well, actually that was mostly the trio- but still. Seems like there should've be- No! NO! I am not finishing that sentence and screwing myself over again!"

The door popped open, and I half put my hands up to create a biotic barrier, than stopped as I saw there were only three Mercs plus the bitch herself.

"Freeze!" One of them shouted. I couldn't help a grin as I put all three in stasis.

"If you insist." I stepped into the room, and saw Shepard rolling her eyes in the back camera view. "Yeah, I know a cryoblast would've fit the pun better, but that was the closest I was going to get."

Several more mercs suddenly deactivated cloaking devices, pointing their guns at us. I threw up a barrier without batting an eye, though it meant dropping the stasis fields. "Okay, that was actually a clever trick, I'll give you that...so what the hell happened to the rest of the mercs?"

"They...Wait a minute- Shepard?" She looked at her as she stepped up next to me. "I thought you were dead."

"Yeah, I've been getting that a lot lately." She deadpanned.

"And before you make some comment about us being here to kill you- first off I really _really _do want to, but it's not why we're do you think that even this many mercs could stop me from coming over there and chopping your head off?" I called the blade into my hand, though I didn't activate it.

I saw several of them shifting nervously.

"Why the hell else would you be here?" She demanded. "You slaughtered so many of the Eclipse only these few were willing to stay- and only because I tripled their pay."

"Really? It was that easy?" I turned to Shepard, pretending to ignore the mercs. "I only killed a couple floors worth- we killed waaaaaay more than that when we got Jack from Purgatory."

"Well, there were a fair amount you killed this morning." Garrus said, gesturing to the sword.

"Yeah, but most of them...Wait- nobody from that survived to pass on the message...unless-" Something occurred to me and I suddenly started laughing.

"What's so damn funny?" Nassana snapped.

"I took this thing from some other lunatics that were butchering these morons." I shook my head. "Bout time those assholes help me without trying to kill me in the process."

"...You're saying we were actually scared of this guy when it wasn't even him killed us earlier?"

"Oh, no no, I did kill plenty of you, just seems like I got a bonus to the rep." I answered the merc with the creepiest friendliest smile I could manage.

I glanced up, eyes hidden by the visor, as I heard a very faint noise. Too faint for anyone else to hear, but I knew it had to be Thane waiting to make his move. _Only were three in the game- there's 8 with all the ones that'd cloaked. I could take them solo, easy, but with the others here I can't risk getting caught in the crossfire, or dodge carelessly and let something go through where I was into them. Throwing knives would still do a lot, but this'll be tricky...unless maybe I distract them. Eh, what the hell, it's worth a shot._

"But, that wasn't the only funny part." I said as she opened her mouth. "The other funny part was-" I gestured to the mercs. "Hiring these losers to make yourself look better."

"What."

"I mean, A for effort, but it didn't really work. I mean, a four surrounded by two's is still a four. And four's being _really _generous."

Her mouth half-opened silently, utterly dumbstruck.

"Are you saying I'm only a two!?" One of the mercs- an asari- yelled in anger, gun pointed right at my head.

"Well...maybe two and a half if I were totally wasted. And come on- look at this face- If anyone's qualified to judge it's me. At least you're better looking than that asshole over there." I pointed at the other side, also making the other mercs look. "I mean, really? You need to visit that plastic surgeon and get your money back…What, you guys really think somebody could be _naturally _that ugly? I mean, this guy _was _born ugly-" I gestured over my shoulder to Garrus- "But the rocket did make it slightly worse."

"Hey, do you guys want to call a five minute truce so we can all beat him up?" Garrus asked, and I actually couldn't tell if he was serious or not.

"Is this a private party, or can anyone join?" Raptor asked, though I could see her fighting a smile as she glared at me. The glare I couldn't tell the genuineness of.

"All of you shut up and just kill him already!" Nassana shouted.

None of them so much as twitched.

"Nassana, honey, I'm already _really _having to restrain myself from tossing you out that window sans your head. Professional courtesy is the only reason I haven't already done so. That said," I raised my voice slightly, "if he doesn't get his arse in here and kill you himself within the next five minutes or so, I'll just do the job for him cause your voice is almost as grating as your personality."

"I say we just kill the bitch now so you stop trying to insult her and failing." Jack responded.

"What, you got a better line?"

"How about how it's obvious she's had some work done uptop."

Nassana covered her chest angrily. "Are you saying you think these are FAKE?!"

"Nah, you're right. Those are way too saggy and floppy to not be natural." Jack laughed.

"Jack, I applaud your superior insulting abilities." I said, sarcastically slow clapping. I suddenly slammed my hands together as I turned to the group on the right, creating a massive sphere of energy that slammed them through the window.

Before the other group could even process this, I was slamming into one with a charge, then flicking my wrists and catching the other two with lashes and sending them flying out as well.

The three remaining turned to me, and I felt something pulse out from me, making me smile slightly. Thane dropped down behind the first, and with a single movement snapped his neck before punching a second one in the throat and shooting the third. Nassana didn't even know where to look before he was shoving a gun into her stomach and pulling the trigger, laying her across the desk as he folded her arms and closed her eyes.

"Showoffs." Raptor muttered.

I teleported back over with a smirk. "Yep. Thanks for the lameass insult Jack- the slow clapping was the perfect setup for that whole maneuver."

"Can I throw him out the window?"

"Wait until we're not as high up. Then go ahead." Raptor answered, stepping past us both towards Thane, who still was praying over the body. "I was hoping to talk to you."

It took a moment for him to respond. "I apologize- prayers for the wicked must not be forsaken."

I was glad at the visor and poker face, because I knew my eyes went purple as Hero's ghost appeared sadly behind him. She reached for his shoulder, but of course passed right through without him so much as suspecting she was there... if she was at all.

_With civilians around, that's one thing. But with Garrus and Raptor right here? Even if it ain't Iron, it's not good..._

She closed her eyes sadly and faded as Raptor responded. "You think someone like her deserves it?"

"Or is it for yourself?" I *guessed*.

He looked up, though his face was nearly as unreadable as mine. "The true measure of an individual can be difficult to discern from actions alone. Take you and your partner for instance- fear caused just by his presence, rage fueling chaos…" He stopped in front of the desk. "I was curious to see how far you'd go to find me."  
"Meaning you used us for a distraction?" I deadpanned.

"I prefer to work quietly. If I have to fight through guards, I've made a mistake. You killed them, drew them too, or scared them off. Eventually, I was able to make use of it."

"Let's cut to the chase-" I cut off Raptor's annoyed reply. "We're recruiting the best for a mission- you're on that list of the best."

"Indeed?"

I gestured to her to take over as I walked to the window where Hero had been. _It makes sense that I'd see her here- or hallucinate that I did, rather. But the question is if it was a hallucination or-_

_*Do you think a hallucination could feel this much like shit?*_

I was glad Garrus and Jack were both paying attention to Thane rather than me, so they didn't notice my slight reaction as she appeared next to me, looking at him with longing and pain.

_*I'm here, but even if he knew I was here, this version wouldn't even know me.*_

_)...Guess we're both kinda opposite sides of that coin.( _I looked down at my left arm.

_*Well, I'm not planning on cutting off his arm, so it's not quite the same.*_

_)...I do sorta want to laugh, but at the same time that's a bit too soon.(_

_*Sorry.*_

_)Meh, it'll be funnier later.(_

She tore her gaze away from him, looking out the window at the sunrise. _*It's funny. I'm the least insane of the three of us in most ways, yet…*_

_)Well, you are female, so there's insanity pretty much preprogrammed into your genes.(_

She tried to slap me, and I was glad to find her hand immaterial.

_(For the record, I agree with Bourne on that one.)_ Iron appeared next to her, and her knee to the groin worked far better on him.

_)...Okay, so, can you hallucinations buzz off? It's already weird enough talking to people that'll die no matter what without the knowledge one of the voices in my head slept with them.(_

_(I doubt there was much sleeping going on between those two.) _

Hero turned to him angrily as both vanished, and I turned around to see Thane and Raptor shaking hands.

_That, and there's the fact that this guy might actually be a threat to me in a fight, unlike almost anyone else...worth at least keeping in mind. _

I spared another glance at the window as we walked out, but there was nothing, nobody there. _Was there ever,- that's the real question._

* * *

Thane walked into the conference room not after Raptor did, and she was glad Bourne had volunteered to show him around while she showered and changed. Or not so much volunteered as been asked and reluctantly said yes, but whatever worked.

"I've heard some impressive stories Krios." Jacob said, half glaring at the assassin. "It sounds like you'll be a real asset to the team." He looked over at her. "That is if you're comfortable having an assassin watch your back."  
"I've accepted a contract. My arm is Shepard's." He said calmly.

"Uh-huh. Don't know about you, but I'm loyal to more than my next paycheck."

"Uh, dumbass? Did you miss the part about him doing this pro bono?" Bourne said from behind Jacob, making both the humans jump. "And if that's how you feel, why no hate towards Zaeed or a certain ex-merc, yours truly?"

"How did you even get over there?" Raptor blurted out.

"Meh, conversation got to stealth somehow, he gave me a few tips." He shrugged. "Your stuff should be moved onboard by now- told them to put it in the life support area, where it's a bit more arid."

"Thank you." He bowed to both, and Raptor bowed back, though she felt slightly ridiculous.

As the doors closed behind him, she rounded on Jacob angrily, slamming her hand on the table "Were you dropped on your head recently?"

"What-"

"You tried playing nice with Tali knowing that she had every reason to hate you, then told her about the damn AI on board- no offense EDI- then you try to alienate a guy we just spent all night getting to, who could kill you with a hand tied behind his back. If you had concerns about recruiting him you should've brought them up before now, though frankly I doubt I'd have listened anymore than because I'm beginning to wonder why you're even here."

"Are you-"

"We can trust you not to shoot us in the back on purpose, that's _literally _the only reason you're any good in a fight. You can use a shotgun, which like five other people can do, but your biotics are barely better than mine are at this point, and all you ever do in a fight is spam barrier so you don't even have any offensive powers. And for the not shooting us in the back, we've got Tali and Garrus now, so that's even more redundant-...Consider yourself on strike three." She said, cutting off her rant and storming out.

Bourne was waiting for her inside the door to her cabin, somehow. "I think you oughta get some shut-eye before we try going after Samara...could probably use some myself actually."

She grunted agreement.

"Not that I disagreed with most of that, but you were a little bit harsher than I would've expected for…" He looked at her for a moment. "You got a message from Liara saying she can't come with, didn't you."  
"Are you hacking my messages like you are Cerberus's?"

He shook his head. "No, just a hunch."

"...Yeah, I got back and it was waiting for me. I get why, but doesn't make it easier."

"At least you two were able to work things out between you." She glanced at his arm, but he didn't even seem to notice, thoughts elsewhere. "Half expected at least a message from Ashley, but so far it's just radio silence...maybe I oughta deal with the pyscho arm-cutting ex before I try dating again anyway though, huh?" He forced a dry chuckle.

"Yeah...Did you manage to talk to her at all in the docking bay or whatever it was? You didn't really go into specifics about that."

"...No. I didn't talk to her." He said as he walked out. Either he was lying, didn't want to talk about it, or meant it metaphorically. She collapsed onto her mattress, too tired to figure it out.

* * *

I punched angrily at the bag, glad I had the gauntlet so I didn't have to screw around with taping my one hand. As my other arm hit it, I was glad it was made for Krogan so it was less likely to break or get knocked off the chain. It was straining as it was.

"You really need a new hobby." Raptor commented as she walked in. "Did you actually sleep at all?"

"Yeah. Long enough for dreams to start up." I hit the bag several more times, eyes blazing red.

She stood silently for a couple minutes as my eyes slowly faded closer to blue. "You given any thought on who to take for Samara?"

"Jack, Zaeed, Thane, Kasumi, Miranda, and Jacob are all pretty much out cause of the whole criminal thing...or just sheer uselessness in that last case."  
"So that leaves Mordin, Grunt, Garrus and Tali."

"I think we oughta give Garrus a break- he's gone on three missions in a row." I said, hitting it again. "I say probably Tali for tech stuff, and Grunt for some extra muscle. Could bring Mordin too if we needed a fifth, but probably better to let him keep analyzing what we have on the Collectors...and I'm outta earplugs at the moment."

"That'd leave us pretty much up close only, except for me."

I stopped the bag with one hand as I turned to look at her. "I'm not exactly a terrible shot with an assault rifle you know, and neither is Grunt. I could take the M-13 instead though, give myself a little more range if needed."

"Have you even practiced with that thing?"

"Yeah, when Hephastus got it I used it a bit. Still not as skilled with it as Garrus or Zaeed, let alone you, but still can wreak some havoc."

She put a hand on her chin, stroking where there had once been a scar. I suddenly noticed the Lazarus scars on her cheeks were almost completely gone- still enough left to be visible, but not so noticeable. "Well, considering how little of the time we actually spend at range...Usually I just use the sniper rifle cause it does the most damage, not because we can't hit them with another gun at the distance, so maybe just stick with the guns you can actually use."

"A: I can use it just fine, B: this coming from the woman who needs to launch a tactical nuke to hit a giant-tank-sized geth."

"You're just jealous that you don't have one."

"That is... entirely beside the point." I said lamely before I teleported to my cabin and headed for the shower.

* * *

"So you're telling me you use a-"

"Yeah, I know it's a substandard omni-tool model, but you know how hard it was to find one that works with one hand?" I responded to Tali's question as we waited for the others. "What I really need to do is get one in the prosthetic, and upgrade the first one so it can be used two handed or one-handed."

"Logic arrest might be _your _best bet then."

"Because it's not as good for combat programs but has better shielding upgrades?"

"...How did you actually know that?"

"I'm nowhere close to your level when it comes to tech, but I could actually convert a distress beacon to warning beacon without help now." I shrugged.

_Why exactly did I ask her for help instead of Garrus again? It's actually more awkward trying to talk to her than just having a tense silence of her not trusting me...not as awkward as I would've thought though. Wonder why that is? _

"Did you modify the arm yourself?" She asked.

"Well...not really. I did a lot of the work, but Hephaestus created the dreadshot tech and lashes and Garrus helped me with the-" I suddenly noticed the way her shoulders were shaking slightly. "Did you just turn off your speakers so you could laugh at the name 'dreadshot'?"

The way the shaking became more obvious was a pretty clear 'yes'.

"For the record, Hephaestus came up with the name." I managed to lie with a straight face. "It's some really obscure dead Salarian dialect- something about biotic superiority. He was so proud of the name I didn't have the heart to tell him how stupid it sounded in english...and I couldn't come up with something better."

She just shook her head, speakers still silent as her shoulders shook.

_(You came up with that lie pretty easily.)  
_ I was glad for the visor and her distraction, though when my eyes flicked around, there was no sign of his ghost, just his voice.

_(So that's actually a good sign- it means Slade and Isaac probably could've sold Jennifer a lie too...it also means everything she said to you could've been a lie.)_

_)She cut off my fucking arm over it- that'd be one hell of a case of method acting. And she left me alive.(_

_(Hey, you said it yourself. Leaving you alive to suffer was a worse punishment.)_

_)Then why were they at the thing with Miranda's sister trying to kill me?...for that matter, how'd they know we'd be there before Thane's thing or Samara's?(_

_(They could've decided to 'to the pain' you, not kill you. As for the second part...I'm crazy, but that doesn't mean I know how other crazy people think. Unless they're clones of me, then I have sorta better luck.)_

_)Hmm...it sorta makes sense- I did typically do Miranda's thing before the recruitments so I could be sure she was loyal for the collector ship. But why would they have suspected I'd do the same here? It's not like I really like her. Hell, if it hadn't been for that whole 'her father's a bastard, I know what it's like to be genetically engineered' thing, I wouldn't have given a damn about her problems.(_

_(You trying to convince me, or yourself?...I mean, it could be both if I'm not real, but you get the point.)_

_)They could be waiting for us at the Eclipse base.(_

_(Sure could.)_

_)And Tali and Grunt aren't enough to beat them.(_

_(Sure aren't.)_

_)I can't leave because then they would just do something to Raptor or the others to get to me.(_

_(Sure would.)_

_)But if I go in there and they are there, I might be able to beat them, but I'd have to kill them and put an end to this...I should just do that.(_

_(So why hesitate?)_

_)Because...if they were my friends...no, no, they need to go down. I can't talk sense into them at this point. Hell, I'm talking to the fake version of the real thing they don't believe in.(_

_(You mean _she _doesn't believe in. The others obviously knew about Hero and I.)_

_)...Yeah. I guess so.(_

_(So basically, if they knew about us, they know it probably wasn't you that 'betrayed' them. Or they oughta be able to at least guess. She, on the other hand, might be brought around if you tried. Except she just as easily could kill you, and really, does she deserve the second chance after cutting off your arm?)_

_)...The crew gave _me _a second chance after I stabbed Tali.(_

_("I?" That's new- usually you just blame me.)_

_)After I got her stabbed by you then, jackass. You know what I mean. If it's them manipulating her, pulling her strings like you pulled mine...still want payback somehow, but not necessarily her life.(_

_(But, here's another angle to consider. She's the one who got the two of them zapped in.)  
_

_)If she was telling the truth, yeah.(_

_(So really, how do you know they don't want revenge on her? And that they aren't just using you as the method to get it? They tell her you weren't really you, or whatever, she tortures and kills you, then they reveal the deception and boom goes the headshot.)_

_)...Didn't you just say you're bad at figuring out other crazy people?(_

_(I always was...but then, what if I'm not me?) _His haunting laughter filled my ears before it slowly faded to nothingness as the airlock doors opened.

"You ready to go?" Raptor asked us.

Tali nodded, before turning her speakers on and saying yes.

"I'm as ready as I'm going to be." I said, looking around behind my visor. _Question is if that's ready enough._

* * *

**T117:...So, apparently I remembered to upload the chapter to the doc-manage last night, then forgot to actually do the stuff after that that would've actually let other people read it. *Facepalm  
**

**)I sorta get now how you write for a moron like Iron.(**

**(Hey, that's a little much, don't you think?)**

**T117: Ergh, Sayonara.**


End file.
